The USS Moccasin (ID-1322) was originally launched in 1903 in Germany as the cargo liner Prinz Joachim, built by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. She measured approximately 370.8 feet in length, with a beam of 45.2 feet, and a depth of 25.2 feet, displacing around 9,060 tons. Powered by a quadruple-expansion steam engine driving a single screw, she could reach speeds of about 12 knots. Her tonnage was 4,760 GRT and 2,981 NRT, with a registered length that made her a sizable cargo vessel of her era. Prinz Joachim was primarily operated by Hamburg America Line (HAPAG), serving routes between Hamburg, Mexico, and the Caribbean, including New York-Jamaica services. She played a notable role in relief efforts, notably delivering supplies to Kingston after the 1907 earthquake and participating in relief following the 1910 Costa Rica earthquakes. She survived incidents such as running aground off Kingston in 1910 and off the Bahamas in 1911. Her service included Caribbean cruises, during which she was fitted with wireless telegraphy (by 1910, her call sign was DSP), and she was equipped with refrigerated holds for cargo such as bananas. During World War I, her operations were suspended, and she was interned in US ports following the outbreak of hostilities. Seized by the United States in 1917, she was renamed Moccasin in 1918 and commissioned into the U.S. Navy, with the Naval Registry ID-1365. Serving in the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, she was armed with a 6-inch and a 3-inch gun, primarily transporting frozen food and troops between the US and Europe until her decommissioning in 1919. Post-war, she returned to civilian service under the name Porto Rico in 1920, operated by the Porto Rico Steamship Company. Her later years included an incident where she partly sank at her Brooklyn berth in 1920, prompting an investigation. She continued merchant service until her scrapping in 1933 or 1934, marking a career that spanned over three decades of maritime activity, relief efforts, and wartime service.

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