Pollux

 

The southern of two bright stars in the constellation Gemini, twin star of castor; the first Pollux was a former name retained.

 

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(SP-2573: dead-weight tons 3,940; length 326 feet 9 inches (bp.); beam 44 feet 1 inch; draft 18 feet; speed 9 knots; complement 70)

 

Pollux (SP-2573) was built in 1909 by Werf voorheen Rijkee N. V., Rotterdam, Netherlands and interned at Key West during World War I; acquired by the Navy as a Navy Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) cargo vessel from Koninklijke Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maastchappij, Amsterdam, Netherlands 20 March 1918; and commissioned at Key West, Fla. 3 April 1918, Lt. Comdr. Geert Scheltens, USNRF, in command.

 

Pollux, manned by a skeleton crew of available sailors, sailed for Cuba, 6 April and took on board sugar at Havana, Cardenas, and Matanzas. She returned to New Orleans 22 April with 25,000 bags of sugar for the American Sugar Refinery Co. before preparing for inactivation. Pollux was turned over to the United States Shipping Board (USSB) on 24 April 1918 for further use during World War I. All Dutch vessels taken over by the United States were eventually redelivered to Holland, the last being returned on 8 November 1919.