USS Jean ( ID - 1308 ) USS " Jean " ( ID - 1308 ) was a cargo ship that served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1919 . Construction and service , 1909 - 1918 . " Jean " was built as the depot collier SS " Jean " in 1909 at Newport News , Virginia , by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company . The United States Army took control of her at Newport News in September 1917 for World War I service under a bareboat charter from her owner , A . H . Bull Steamship Company of New York City . She operated for the Army with a civilian crew , probably in European waters , before returning in August 1918 to Newport News , where she was transferred to the United States Shipping Board on a U . S . Army account . United States Navy service , 1918 - 1919 . The U . S . Navy had inspected " Jean " in 1917 for possible naval service , and acquired her from the Shipping Board for World War I service on 30 August 1918 . Assigned Identification Number ( Id . No . ) 1308 , she was commissioned the same day as USS " Jean " with Lieutenant Commander Daniel A . Sullivan in command . Assigned to the 5th Naval District under the control of the Naval Overseas Transportation Service , " Jean " operated on a bareboat charter from A . H . Bull Steamship Company . She took aboard 2 , 181 tons of general cargo at Norfolk , Virginia , and departed on 30 September 1918 for Sydney , Nova Scotia , Canada , to join an Atlantic convoy of American and British ships which departed 7 October 1918 for Bordeaux , France . She was diverted to Brest , France , where she arrived on 21 October 1918 with supplies for war - ravaged Europe . Steaming from Brest on 22 October 1918 , " Jean " visited the ports of La Pallice , Bordeaux , and Le Verdon - sur - Mer . She sailed out of Verdon harbor on 3 November 1918 and arrived at Newport News on 24 November 1918 . During this voyage , World War I ended on 11 November 1918 . " Jean " refueled , loaded 3 , 164 tons of cargo , and departed on 30 December 1918 for Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , via Barbados . She arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 27 January 1919 , exchanged her cargo of coal for coffee bean s , and departed for New York City via Santos , Brazil . She arrived at New York on 20 March 1919 and discharged her cargo . " Jean " was decommissioned on 15 April 1919 at Hoboken , New Jersey . She was transferred to the Shipping Board that day for simultaneous return to the A . H . Bull Steamship Company . Later career , 1919 - 1954 . " Jean " returned to commercial service as SS " Jean " . She was renamed SS " Margarita Calafati " in 1926 , SS " Gladstone " in 1927 , and , under the Latvian flag , SS " Sports " in 1928 . " Sports " came under Soviet control when the Soviet Union occupied Latvia in June 1940 , and was nationalized and assigned to the Soviet Unions Latvian State Sea Shipping Company on 29 October 1940 . " Sports " was in port at Danzig , Germany , on 22 June 1941 , the day that Germany declared war on the Soviet Union . Germany seized her that day and placed her under the German flag as SS " Magdalena " . After the end of World War II , " Magdalena " was transferred to the United Kingdom as a war reparation . Once again named SS " Sports " in 1947 , the ship later was transferred to the Panamanian flag and remained in commercial service until scrapped in 1954 .