The SS Registan, launched on 9 May 1910 by William Gray & Company Ltd. in West Hartlepool, UK, was a cargo vessel constructed with engines supplied by Central Marine Engine Works. Originally built for the Anglo-Algerian Steamship Co., the ship measured approximately 4,000 to 6,000 deadweight tons, suitable for moderate draft operations, particularly in shallow ports. She was completed in July 1910 and soon after was sold to the New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company in 1911, at which point she was renamed Guantanamo. As Guantanamo, the vessel served in civilian maritime trade until World War I. During the war, she was inspected for potential military use and was subsequently commissioned into the U.S. Navy on 21 May 1918 as USS Guantanamo (ID-1637). During her naval service, she transported gunpowder and munitions to European forces, completing three convoy voyages before decommissioning in January 1919 and returning to civilian service. In 1927, she was renamed Comerio, continuing commercial operations until 1940, when she was sold to Italian interests and renamed Vittorin. By June 1940, she was idle in Norfolk, Virginia, and in June 1941, she was seized under the U.S. wartime emergency act, transferred to the War Shipping Administration, and renamed Grey Lag. She was operated initially by the South Atlantic Steamship Company, then by U.S. Navigation, and later was chartered by the U.S. Army in January 1943. During World War II, Grey Lag was assigned to the Southwest Pacific Area's local fleet, designated X-101. She played a significant role in logistics, including towing barges from Australia and New Guinea to the Philippines. Her design as a "Laker" or Lake-Type Vessel made her suitable for the shallow ports of the Pacific islands, and she was part of a diverse fleet comprising mainly Dutch and allied ships. After the war, in 1946, she was sold to the Republic of China, renamed Hai Lung, and continued service until she was scrapped in Taiwan in January 1960. Throughout her fifty-year career, the vessel served various roles—from commercial cargo ship to wartime logistics asset—highlighting her maritime versatility and historical significance in both civilian and military contexts.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.