Editing SS Roosevelt (1905) (section)

===U.S. Bureau of Fisheries===
On 21 April 1910, the [[United States Congress]] assigned the responsibility for the management and harvest of [[northern fur seal]]s, [[fox]]es, and other [[fur]]-bearing animals in the [[Pribilof Islands]] in the [[Bering Sea]], as well as for the care, education, and welfare of the [[Aleut people|Aleut]] communities in the islands, to the [[United States Bureau of Fisheries]] (BOF).<ref name=pribiloftenders>{{cite web |url=https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/History/vessels/pribilof_tenders.htm |publisher=AFSC Historical Corner |title=The Pribilof Islands Tender Vessels |access-date=September 4, 2018}}</ref> Since then, the BOF had chartered commercial vessels to transport passengers and cargo to and from the Pribilof Islands.<ref name=pribiloftenders/> By 1915, the BOF had decided that a more cost-effective means of serving the islands would be to own and operate its own "[[Pribilof tender]],"<ref name=pribiloftenders/> a dedicated [[cargo liner]] responsible for transportation to and from the Pribilofs.<ref name=pribiloftenders/> The BOF estimated that constructing a new ship capable of meeting its needs would cost at least US$100,000.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> Exploring cheaper alternatives, the BOF decided the idle ''Roosevelt'' would fulfill its requirements and purchased her from John W. Sullivan and Company in 1915 for US$40,000 to serve as its first "Pribilof tender."<ref name=ssroosevelt/><ref name=navsource/><ref name=grigorep16/><ref name=pribiloftenders/>

On 19 July 1915,<ref name=grigorep22>Grigore, p. 22.</ref> ''Roosevelt'' departed New York City bound for [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]], to pick up [[coal]] for the Pribilofs, but during the voyage to Norfolk she suffered significant mechanical failures that required repairs at the [[Norfolk Navy Yard]] in [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]], Virginia.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> A thorough inspection of her at the [[shipyard]] revealed that she needed additional repairs and a general overhaul, replacement of the foremast Arbuckle had removed, and the installation of a more efficient three-bladed propeller;<ref name=ssroosevelt/> this may also have been when the need to convert her from burning coal to burning fuel oil was identified.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> At the end of the summer of 1916, the demand for steel for use in [[World War I]] created a delay in forging ''Roosevelt''{{'}}s new tail shaft, delaying her departure from Norfolk for several more months.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> While she was lying idle, the eighth annual Convention of the [[Southern Commercial Congress]] took place in Norfolk in December 1916, and she and the BOF steamer {{ship|USFC|Fish Hawk||2}} participated in it, exhibiting several [[fishery]]-related items and devices.<ref name=ssroosevelt/>

Ultimately, the total cost of the ship and her repairs came to US$72,000, but it was still a significant saving compared to the estimated cost of constructing a new vessel.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> With her repairs finally complete, ''Roosevelt'' departed Norfolk on 23 January 1917, bound for [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], but endured further delays en route, first impeded by an international incident which detained her for over a month at [[Guantánamo Bay]], [[Cuba]], followed by yet another delay of three weeks for repairs at [[Balboa, Panama|Balboa]] in the [[Panama Canal Zone]].<ref name=ssroosevelt/> She finally arrived at Seattle on 23 April 1917, carrying supplies for the [[United States Navy]] and the [[United States Lighthouse Service]].<ref name=ssroosevelt/> On 4 July 1917, a dedication ceremony took place in Seattle to mark the opening of the [[Government Locks]], which connected [[Puget Sound]] with the [[Lake Washington Ship Canal]] and [[Lake Washington]], and ''Roosevelt'' – leading a flotilla of hundreds of boats that included the newly built BOF boat [[USFS Auklet|USFS ''Auklet'']]<ref name=ssroosevelt/> – became the first large ocean-going vessel to enter the canal and the first such ship to enter Lake Washington.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/History/timeline/default.htm |website=afsc.noaa.gov |publisher=AFSC Historical Corner |title=Timeline of Significant Events}}</ref>

On 7 July 1917, ''Roosevelt'' began her duties as the first "Pribilof tender," departing Seattle for the Pribilof Islands and [[Unalaska, Alaska|Unalaska]] in the [[Aleutian Islands]],<ref name=grigorep22/> the beginning of the 58-year history of the [[United States Government]]-operated "Pribilof tenders." She made two voyages to the Pribilof Islands during 1917, carrying personnel, building materials, and supplies.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> On her return trip in August 1917, she hauled 4,882 [[sealskin]]s and 606 [[fox]] skins to Seattle for rail shipment to [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], where they were prepared for [[auction]].<ref name=ssroosevelt/> The BOF calculated that the money it saved by operating ''Roosevelt'' as its "Pribilof tender" rather than chartering commercial vessels in ''Roosevelt''′s first year alone more than made up for the cost of purchasing ''Roosevelt''.<ref name=ssroosevelt/> When ''Roosevelt'' made a voyage to the Pribilofs in January 1918, it marked the first time that it was possible to sail reliably to the Pribilof Islands in the winter.<ref name=ssroosevelt/>