Yard number 588 Acquired 13 December 1968 | Way number 517717 Length 184 m | |
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Name SS Indian Mail, later changed to SS President Jackson Owner American Mail Lines, then sold to American President Lines Builder Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia | ||
SS Cape Gibson (AK-5051) is a Cape G Class Break bulk cargo ship of the United States Maritime Administration, last used as a training ship at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Currently she later mothballed in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet.
History
The ship was originally delivered as SS Indian Mail a class C5-S-75a ship, to American Mail Line Ltd., of Seattle in 1968 as one of five C-5-S-75a class breakbulk cargo container ships (the others being SS Alaskan Mail, SS American Mail, SS Korea Mail, and SS Hong Kong Mail). With the onset of containerization, this type of cargo ship was approaching obsolescence, but this class was well equipped for handling a wide variety of cargoes. The ship was later acquired by American President Lines and name was changed to SS President Jackson. In 1988 the ship was transferred to MARAD, renamed SS Cape Gibson and mothballed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Alameda, California. She was assigned to the Military Sealift Command as a Modular Cargo Delivery System Ship and capable of being reactivated in five days.
In 2009 SS Cape Gibson was reactivated as training ship for Texas A&M Maritime Academy cadets, serving until 2012 until being replaced by TS General Rudder. She was subsequently placed in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet. In August 2016 she was designated for disposal.