The USS Bath (ID-1997/AK-4) was a cargo vessel acquired by the United States Navy during World War I, originally built in 1913 by Oderwerke Stettiner in Stettin, Germany, as the Dutch freighter SS Andromeda. The ship was seized by U.S. customs officials at New Orleans on April 6, 1917, amidst the outbreak of war, and transferred to U.S. Navy control the following month. Renamed USS Bath on June 6, 1917, and assigned the hull number ID-1997, the vessel was commissioned on July 30, 1917. Constructed as a cargo ship, USS Bath measured approximately similar to other ships of its era, designed to carry supplies across the Atlantic. Its service record began with a transatlantic convoy voyage from New Orleans to Brest, France, arriving on September 18, 1917. During World War I, USS Bath was placed in Special Service with the Atlantic Fleet’s Train, transporting cargo between England and France to support Allied operations. In February 1918, she returned to the United States and was subsequently assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service in March 1918, facilitating cargo shipments between the U.S. and Europe during the final years of the war. After the war, USS Bath continued cargo operations along the U.S. coasts and to the Caribbean from February 1919 to July 1921. In 1920, the vessel was redesignated with the hull number AK-4, reflecting its role as a cargo ship. On January 14, 1921, USS Bath was assigned to the Asiatic Fleet, arriving in Cavite, Philippines, on January 6, 1922, where she remained until her decommissioning at Cavite on May 9, 1922. She was sold on January 2, 1926, and later wrecked in 1955. Throughout her service, USS Bath played a vital logistical role during wartime and in peacetime, contributing to America's maritime operations across the Atlantic, U.S. coasts, the Caribbean, and the Far East. Her service was recognized with medals awarded to her crew, marking her as a significant vessel in early 20th-century naval logistics.

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