The USS Zaca (ID-3792) was a steel-hulled, single-screw freighter constructed as part of the United States Shipping Board's Design 1015 class. Built in 1918 by the Moore Shipbuilding Company in Oakland, California, she was completed as SS Zaca and later acquired by the U.S. Navy for wartime service. She was commissioned as USS Zaca on December 30, 1918, serving briefly in the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. Designed for cargo transport, the Zaca was capable of carrying substantial loads, exemplified by her shipment of 7,446 tons of flour. After her commissioning, she underwent sea trials before departing from San Francisco Bay on January 12, 1919, heading toward the U.S. East Coast. During her voyage, she stopped in the Panama Canal Zone, where she took on 41 passengers en route to Norfolk, Virginia, and transited the canal on January 30, 1919. She arrived in Hampton Roads on February 8, 1919, and spent about a week there undergoing minor repairs and replenishment. On February 15, 1919, Zaca set sail for Europe with a cargo of flour intended for relief efforts in post-World War I Europe. She arrived at Danzig on March 19, 1919, discharged her cargo, and departed for the United States on April 4, 1919, via Rotterdam and Plymouth. She arrived in New York City on April 29, 1919, unloaded ballast, and was decommissioned the next day, May 12, 1919. The ship was returned to the U.S. Shipping Board and struck from the Navy List. Following her naval service, Zaca operated commercially as SS Zaca until October 1920, when she was severely damaged by a ruptured fuel oil pipe in her engine room, which led to her being burned out. Her hulk was towed to New York City, where it remained until she was scrapped in January 1924. The vessel’s brief but active service highlights her role in postwar relief efforts and maritime commerce during her era.

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