USS Alaskan ( ID - 4542 ) USS " Alaskan " ( ID - 4542 ) was a United States Navy cargo ship and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919 . Construction and commercial service , 1902 – 1918 . " Alaska " was built in 1902 at San Francisco , California , by the Union Iron Works as the commercial cargo ship SS " Alaskan " for the American - Hawaiian Steamship Company , which employed her on the New York City - to - San Francisco - to - Honolulu , Hawaii , trade . " Alaskan " and her sister ship — which later served in the U . S . Navy as — represented , according to a contemporary account , the " most advanced practice in the construction of ocean - going freighters and . . . a most important addition to the American merchant marine . " Intended exclusively for carrying freight , " Alaskan " was designed as a very strong ship with a large stowage capacity . United States Navy service , 1918 – 1919 . World War I service . The U . S . Navy inspected " Alaskan " in the 3rd Naval District on 23 May 1917 , found her desirable for World War I Navy service , and assigned her the Naval Registry Identification Number ( Id . No . ) 4542 , but did not take control of her for several more months . On 12 March 1918 , the United States Shipping Board turned the ship over to the United States Department of War as a cargo ship to be manned and operated by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service ( NOTS ) for the United States Army on a bareboat charter basis . The Navy took control of her that same day and commissioned her on 23 March 1918 at Morse Dry Dock , Brooklyn , New York , as USS " Alaskan " with Lieutenant Commander Walter P . Hillman , USNRF , in command . " Alaskan " departed Brooklyn for Hampton Roads , Virginia , on the afternoon of 24 March 1918 . Anchoring in Hampton Roads in the predawn darkness of 26 March 1918 , she moved shortly thereafter to the Norfolk and Western Pier s , docking there at 12 : 28 hours . Over the ensuing days , she received more men and underwent repairs . Yard work completed and her complement brought up to full allowance , " Alaskan " shifted to Pier 5 , U . S . Army Piers , Newport News , Virginia , on 13 April 1918 to take on cargo . On 16 April 1918 , she proceeded to sea and joined a France - bound convoy on 17 April 1918 . She reached Brest , France , on the afternoon of 2 May 1918 , then weighed anchor early on the morning of 3 May 1918 to proceed in a coastal convoy to St . Nazaire , France . On 3 May 1918 , during the voyage , one of the ships in the convoy , the American merchant ship SS " Pearl F . " , attempted to cut between columns , veering across " Alaskan " s bow . The accident resulted in " Alaskan " s stem being badly twisted to starboard , and plates attached to her stem either broke off or cracked , but she was still able to complete the voyage , anchoring at St . Nazaire that evening . However , due to crowded harbor conditions , she did not begin discharging cargo until 6 May 1918 . On 13 May 1918 , lookouts aboard " Alaskan " spotted a fire breaking out on board U . S . Navy animal transport USS " Mexican " ( ID - 1655 ) , lying directly ahead of " Alaskan " in St . Nazaire harbor . " Alaskan " called away her fire and rescue party , which aided " Mexican " s men in controlling the blaze before it did serious damage . " Alaskan " remained in French waters into June 1918 , first at St . Nazaire , completing the discharge of her cargo , before proceeding down the coast , passing the He de Yeu on 7 June 1918 in a coastal convoy bound for the Gironde River , which she reached later that day . Getting underway on 10 June 1918 for the return voyage to the United States , the ship brought her first voyage for NOTS to a close when she reached New York Harbor late on 23 June 1918 . " Alsakan " underwent voyage repairs at Morse Drydock , Brooklyn , before moving to Bush Terminal Pier No . 6 to take on cargo , then began her second wartime voyage in naval service on 28 July 1918 , again crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a convoy . Carrying the vice commodore of the convoy , Lieutenant Commander Isaiah F . Shurtleff , USNRF , " Alaskan " arrived at St . Nazaire on 12 August 1918 , anchoring late on 13 August 1918 . Among the cargo she discharged was oil for the tanks at the United States Naval Aviation Station , Le Croisic , France . With a return cargo that included ordnance material , " Alaskan " got underway for the United States on the afternoon of 28 August 1918 and reached Hampton Roads on the afternoon of 13 September 1918 . For her third U . S . Navy voyage during the war , " Alaskan " cleared Hampton Roads on 29 September 1918 and joined a France - bound convoy on 30 September 1918 , this time routed via Gibraltar . Arriving at Gibraltar on 16 October 1918 , " Alaskan " lingered there until 20 October 1918 , when she began the last passage of her voyage . Two days out , at 11 : 37 hours on 22 October 1918 , she collided with and sank a fishing boat . Fortunately , another boat " of similar character " fished the sunken boats men out of the sea . Reaching Marseille , France , a little before midnight on 23 October 1918 , " Alaskan " discharged lumber , tractors , and trailers , on 26 October 1918 and over ensuing days . She was still lying in port on 11 November 1918 when the news reached her of the signing of the armistice with Germany , an event duly celebrated by the ships sounding her whistle and hoisting Allied flags . " Alaskan " ultimately reached Newport News , via Gibraltar , on the afternoon of 29 November 1918 , bringing to a close her third and final round - trip voyage under the aegis of NOTS . Postwar service . With World War I over , the return of American troops to the United States from Europe became a priority . " Alaskan " was selected for conversion to a troop transport . On 10 December 1918 , she departed Newport News for New York City . She was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force on 12 December 1918 . On 19 December 1918 , her guns were removed by a U . S . Navy derrick lighter off Weehawken , New Jersey . Over the following weeks , she underwent a metamorphosis from cargo ship to troopship at Brooklyn by the W . A . Fletcher Shipyard under the direction of U . S . Army authorities , with the addition of troop accommodations for up to 2 , 260 men . Now a troop transport , " Alaskan " cleared New York Harbor on 24 February 1919 bound for France , and reached St . Nazaire on 10 March 1919 . After embarking troops between 09 : 10 and 17 : 10 hours on 15 March 1919 , she got underway later that day on the return leg of the voyage . She moored at Army Pier No . 2 , Hoboken , New Jersey , on 31 March 1919 , and , after quick voyage repairs , departed again for European waters on 7 April 1919 . She conducted three more trooping voyages , one to Bordeaux , France , and two to St . Nazaire , each time returning to disembark returning " doughboy s " at Hoboken . She sent her last contingents of troops ashore alongside Pier No . 8 , Hoboken , on the afternoon of 16 July 1919 . After drydocking at Brooklyn and the removal of her troop accommodations , " Alaskan " was back at Pier No . 8 , Hoboken , by 24 July 1919 . On 5 August 1919 , at 16 : 02 hours , " Alaskan " was turned over to her prewar owners , the American - Hawaiian Steamship Company . Commercial service , 1919 – 1933 . Once again SS " Alaskan " , the ship operated under the house flag of the American - Hawaiian Steamship Company until sold to Italian interests in 1927 . Under Italian ownership , she was renamed SS " Memore " and was registered by the Companie Generale Armamento Soc . Anon . , her home port being listed as Genoa , Italy . She remained on contemporary merchant vessel lists until 1933 , and then her name disappeared from the rolls . Presumably , she was scrapped in Italy during or soon after 1933 .