SS Evelyn, a 3141 gross ton freighter, was built in 1912 at Newport News, Virginia. In January 1918 she was examined by the U.S. Navy for possible acquisition and assigned the registry ID # 2228, but was not taken over. Evelyn continued in commercial use through the next two decades, operating along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and in the West Indies.
World War II brought Evelyn into U.S. Navy service, and she was commissioned as Asterion (AK-100) in early March 1942. The ship was fitted out as a "Q" ship, whose appearance as a helpless freighter was expected to lure German submarines into range of her concealed battery of guns and depth charges. Asterion cruised extensively in this guise, rescuing survivors of other ships that had fatally encountered U-Boat torpedoes, but did not herself engage the enemy. Redesignated AK-63 in September 1942, she was retired from the "Q" role more than a year later.
Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in January 1944, Asterion retained her Navy name but was redesignated WAK-123. She served as a weather ship in the north Atlantic until July 1944, when her advanced age led to her decommissioning. The old ship was sold for scrapping in September 1946.
This page features the only view we have concerning S.S. Evelyn, USS Asterion (AK-100, later AK-63) and USCGC Asterion (WAK-123).
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 9 April 2004