USS Teresa (Id. No. 4478) was a cargo vessel that served in the United States Navy during the final years of World War I, from 1918 to 1919. Originally built in 1900 as the SS Austrian by Russell and Company in Port Glasgow, Scotland, the ship was constructed for Unione Austriaca di Navigazione. It later was renamed SS Teresa. In September 1917, the United States Shipping Board took control of the vessel for wartime use and chartered her to the U.S. Army, which operated her with a civilian crew. Following a dispute between the Army quartermaster and the ship's civilian master, the Navy took over the vessel, assigning her the naval registry identification number 4478. She was officially commissioned as USS Teresa on 9 January 1918 at Newport News, Virginia. During her naval service, USS Teresa was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. She was outfitted for military transport and departed for New York City on 29 January 1918, where she loaded U.S. Army supplies. She then moved to Norfolk, Virginia, and on 23 February 1918, she set sail with a convoy bound for France, arriving at St. Nazaire on 4 March 1918. Over the next 16 months, Teresa completed a total of five supply voyages to France, playing a vital role in supporting Allied operations during the war. Her last U.S. Navy voyage concluded in Philadelphia on 28 June 1919. She was decommissioned on 19 July 1919 and returned to the United States Shipping Board. Returning to commercial service, the ship was renamed SS Demokratia after being sold in 1923 to G. Perivolaris of Chios, Greece. Later, in 1932, she was renamed Phoenix. The vessel was ultimately sold for scrapping in Genoa, Italy, on 14 November 1932. The USS Teresa's service highlights her contribution as a cargo transport during a critical period of maritime logistics in World War I, transitioning from a commercial vessel to a naval supply ship and back to commercial use, exemplifying the versatility and significance of such ships in wartime 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.