Conquest

Hull Number C-13118 was built by Harbor Boatbuilding Company for the United States Navy at its Terminal Island (Long Beach), California facility and delivered to the Navy in August 1965.  One of only 16 such vessels constructed at that location, she was built using fiberglass reinforced plastic rather than the more commonly used medium of wood.

 In mid-1967, the boat was assigned to USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37) where she served until 1989, C-13118 carried thousands of sailors to and from the ship and shore stations during her career.  Her designed capacity allowed for 146 personnel including a crew of 4 or a maximum cargo load of 23,430 pounds.  Everyday speed under load was probably somewhat less than the 9.4-knot maximum that she was designed for.

 In 1989, C-13118 was removed from the ship and placed in the hands of the DRMO as surplus equipment.  Acquired by the local Sea Scouts in Stockton, she was moved to their Sea Base where, except for some minor hull repair work and a coat of white paint, she sat idle until 1995 when it was transferred to the S.S.S. Conquest and transported by truck to Southern California.

 Most of the conversion work was done at a yard in Wilmington, CA, ironically named Harbor Boatbuilding. Generous donations and special deals from companies like General Plastics in Tacoma WA and Fiberglass Services in San Pedro, CA allowed the use of structural foam and fiberglass sandwich construction. The construction process involved the crewmembers as much as possible at all stages so that they could become familiar with fiberglass construction, welding, gel coating and all other facets of boatbuilding.

 On August 8, 2003, the boat was launched at Sunset Aquatic Shipyard in Sunset Beach. Much work still needed to be done and the project is still ongoing. However, the boat is functional for use in the program and has made many cruises ranging from day trips to long cruises of up to two weeks.