USS Culgoa (AF-3) was a steam cargo liner. She was launched in England in 1889 for Blue Anchor Line, who ran her between England and Australia. In 1898 she was bought for the United States Navy as a stores ship. She served in the Philippine–American War; the Great White Fleet; and the First World War. In January 1909 she took part in the relief operation after the 1908 Messina earthquake. To date, she is the only US Navy ship to have been named Culgoa. In 1922 the United States Department of the Navy sold her to a civilian owner, who renamed her Champlain. She was scrapped in the United States in 1924.
Building
In 1889, shipyards in North East England launched two sister ships for Blue Anchor Line. The first was built by J Wigham Richardson & Co of Newcastle, and launched on 28 August as . The second was built by J.L. Thompson and Sons of Sunderland as yard number 257; launched on 25 October as Culgoa; and completed on 4 January 1890. Her beam was a few inches greater than Bungarees, but they were otherwise identical. She was named after the town of Culgoa in Victoria. Culgoas lengths were overall and registered. Her beam was ; her depth was ; and her draft was . and gave her a speed of . but instead was overhauled at Hong Kong between 20 October and 18 November 1899.
Culgoa made three voyages to Sydney, New South Wales and Brisbane, Queensland, for fresh stores in 1900 and 1901. Airlie was later refloated and repaired.
On 22 July 1901, Culgoa left Cavite and sailed via Ceylon, the Suez Canal, Malta, and Gibraltar to New York, arriving on 25 September. She was decommissioned on 16 October 1901 at Boston.
On the evening of 9 November 1904, Culgoa accidentally rammed the schooner Wilson and Hunting about off Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey. The night was clear, and both ships were headed north along the coast, and the steamship approached the schooner from astern. There was a blustery northeast wind, and the schooner was on a starboard tack. Wilson and Hunting was correctly lit, and lit a flare three times, which was the customary signal from a sailing craft to a steamer approaching from astern. Culgoa maintained her course; struck the schooner; and almost cut her in two. The impact was such that one member of the steamship's engine department crew was thrown against machinery and injured. Aboard the schooner, the steward and two seamen climbed the schooner's rigging to reach safety aboard the steamship. The Mate tried to do the same, but Culgoa went astern, separating the two ships, and he was thrown into the sea. The steamship lowered a boat, whose crew threw the Mate a line and rescued him. But after the two ships separated, Wilson and Hunting capsized, killing its Captain; his wife; and two Norwegian seamen. (One later report said four seamen.) The capsized schooner stayed afloat and drifted landwards, and two of the steamship's boats searched for more survivors, but found none. Culgoa then landed the four survivors at Tompkinsville, Staten Island.
Culgoa supplied ships and shore stations in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico until 11 August 1905, when she was decommissioned again. She was considered for sale, and on 7 May 1906 she was struck from the Navy List, but on 30 June she was reinstated. She got back to New York on 16 October 1907. Yankton reached Messina on 9 January, followed by Culgoa.
Atlantic and Caribbean, 1909–1919
Culgoa returned to Hampton Roads on 17 February 1909, and resumed her supply duties along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean until 1 December 1910, when she went to supply ships serving in European waters. She called at Brest and Cherbourg in France, and Weymouth and Gravesend in England, and returned to New York on 20 January 1911. She left New York 11 February 1911 for the Caribbean, where she supplied US ships and shore detachments until 1918.
thumb| in port after the collision with
In February 1918, Culgoa was then transferred to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service for the remainder of World War I. She made seven transatlantic convoy voyages to bases in France and Britain between 19 February 1918 and 10 May 1919. On 10 July 1918 she assisted , which sank after a collision with . She rescued survivors, and towed San Jacinto into Halifax, Nova Scotia.