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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- CIVILIAN SHIPS --

Carolyn (American Freighter, 1912).
Served as USS Atik (AK-101) in 1942

SS Carolyn, a 3141 gross ton freighter, was built at Newport News, Virginia, in 1912. Though inspected for possible U.S. Navy use during World War I, and assigned the registry ID # 1608, she remained in civilian hands throughout that conflict and for over two more decades was commercially employed along the U.S. East Coast and in the Caribbean area.

In January 1942 the Second World War brought Carolyn into U.S. Navy service. Commissioned as Atik (AK-101) in early March, she was outfitted as a "Q" ship, intended by her innocent appearance to lure German submarines into a fatal close-range gunfire engagement. However, in Atik's case the scheme had a tragic outcome. Torpedoed by U-123 on 27 March 1942, she opened fire on the submarine, was torpedoed again and blew up violently. USS Atik's entire crew lost their lives in the battle, or during the North Atlantic storm that quickly followed her sinking.

This page features the only view we have concerning S.S. Carolyn and USS Atik (AK-101).

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 102438 S.S. Carolyn (American Freighter, 1912) In port, circa 1917-1918, probably at the time she was inspected for possible U.S. Navy service. This steamer was assigned the registry ID # 1608, but was not taken over by the Navy during World War I. During World War II, however, she became USS Atik (AK-101), a "Q-ship" lost with all hands on 27 March 1942 as a result of an action with the German submarine U-123. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 62KB; 740 x 330 pixels

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Page made 9 April 2004