SS Maverick was an oil tanker

Oil tanker

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

 built in 1890 for the Standard Oil of New York, later Mobil Oil. After the ship had changed hands sometime between 1910 and 1915, it was used during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 as part of the Hindu–German Conspiracy

Hindu–German Conspiracy

The Hindu–German Conspiracy was a series of plans formulated between 1914 and 1917 to initiate a Pan-Indian rebellion against the British Raj during World War I. The conspirators included radical nationalists in India, the Ghadar Party in the United States and the Indian independence committee in...

 to foment rebellion in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and overthrow the British Raj

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

. According to one source, the ship sank in 1917.

History

SS Maverick was laid down at the Columbian Iron Works

Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Co.

The Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Company , was located in Baltimore, Maryland on the Locust Point peninsula, adjacent to Fort McHenry. Founded by William T. Malster who later partnered with William B. Reaney in 1879, it opened for business on 16 July 1880. The company was located on adjacent...

 in Baltimore, Maryland as a 1721 long tons (1,748.6 t) tanker for Standard Oil of New York, and delivered in May 1890. On 17 July 1899, Maverick caught fire while unloading a cargo of oil at Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

. A subsequent explosion ripped a hole in the side of the steam tanker, which sank at its pier. By 1907 the ship had been repaired and was back in service, and by 1910 had been equipped with a 2½ kW radio with a range of 200 miles (321.9 km).

At some point between 1910 and 1915, the ship was sold to the Maverick Steamship Company. According to one period source, in April 1915 the ship had been chartered to one F. Jebsen, who was an officer in the Kaiserliche Marine

Kaiserliche Marine

The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...

. Jebsen was also the master of , a ship that had been suspected of secretly resupplying the German light cruiser

Light cruiser

A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...

 SMS Leipzig

SMS Leipzig

SMS Leipzig was a Bremen class light cruiser, of the German Imperial Navy. It was named after the German city of Leipzig.The ship was stationed off the west coast of Mexico at the outbreak of war in 1914...

 in August 1914.

On 20 April 1915 rumors that Maverick was loading ammunition at Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 reached a United States Customs Service

United States Customs Service

Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...

 agent, who ordered an inspection. By the time the order was issued, however, Maverick had weighed anchor and sailed to Long Beach

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

 and entered a drydock there. On 22 April 1915, she sailed under a Captain Starr-Hunt from San Pedro, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 with a crew of 25 plus five so-called "Persians". However these were in fact Indians and included Hari Singh

Hari Singh

Maharaja Hari Singh was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.He was married four times...

 who carried with him quantities of Ghadar Party

Ghadar Party

The Ghadar Party was an organization founded by Punjabi Indians, in the United States and Canada with the aim to liberate India from British rule...

 literature. The ship was to rendezvous with the schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

 Annie Larsen

Annie Larsen

The Annie Larsen was a schooner that was involved in arms shipment in the Hindu German Conspiracy during World War I.The ship came into the spotlight when it was seized on 25 June 1915 by US customs officials at Grays Harbour and found to be carrying large quantities of small arms and ammunitions...

 at the island of Socorro, with the intention of transferring a quantity of arms to the Maverick. However, when the Annie Larsen failed to appear, the Maverick continued to Java

Java

Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...

 via Honolulu. The Annie Larsen eventually appeared in Hoquiam, Washington

Hoquiam, Washington

Hoquiam is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington state, United States. The town borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting but Hoquiam has maintained its independent identity...

, where United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 authorities seized its cargo.

The Maverick continued to Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

, arriving there towards the end of August. She attracted attention, on account of the five Sikh

Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

s she had on board. The Maverick remained in Jakarta until the end of the war.

According to one source, the tanker sank in 1917.