Adelheid—a. 2,870-ton freighter built in 1903 at Flensburg, Germany—sought haven at New York City when World War I broke out in Europe in the summer of 1914 to avoid capture by the Royal Navy. She was seized by American customs officials in April 1917, soon after the United States entered that conflict. After the Navy inspected the ship to determine whether or not she was suitable for naval service, she was assigned the Navy identification number (Id.No.) 1975. However, the Navy apparently never took over the ship, and she was sold abroad on 8 June 1918 by the United States Shipping Board.[1]