USS Metha Nelson (IX-74)

History
Name	USS Metha Nelson
Builder	H. D. Bendixsen, Eureka, California
Completed	1896
Acquired	by purchase, 11 June 1942
Commissioned	25 September 1943
Decommissioned	25 September 1945
Stricken	24 October 1945
Fate	Sold to former owner
General characteristics
Type	Schooner
Displacement	464 long tons (471 t)
Length	156 ft (48 m)
Beam	36 ft (11 m)
Draft	11 ft 9 in (3.58 m)
Speed	7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph)

USS Metha Nelson (IX‑74) was a wooden‑hulled sailing schooner of the United States Navy during World War II.

The ship was completed in 1896 by H. D. Hendrixsen of Eureka, California, and hauled cargo, primarily lumber, from Maine to Singapore, and appeared in several films. Included in her credits was the portrayal of Captain Bligh's ship in the 1935 film Mutiny on the Bounty.

Service history[]

Metha Nelson was purchased by the US Navy from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on 11 June 1942, converted by the Craig Shipyard, Long Beach, California, and placed on service 25 September 1943.

Charged with the identification of all ships trafficking in and out of Los Angeles, she lay off the city for the duration of her naval service, also acting as pilot ship.

Placed out of service on 25 September 1945, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 24 October 1945, turned over to War Shipping Administration a week later, and sold back to her former owner.

References[]

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links[]

• Photo gallery of USS Metha Nelson at NavSource Naval History