The USS Retribution a historic sailing ship impressed into US Navy use.

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Still painted with her pre-war name, the Star of India, the USS Retribution was a historic ship used as a museum in San Diego. On the 4th of July in 1998 (about a month after the Mexicans seized San Diego, she was impressed into the US Navy being used for both cargo and logistics operations and serving as a Navy Special Operations Warfare (SEALs) support platform. The ship executed a number of daring raids in both Mexican occupied territory and Mexico proper. She later sailed throughout the Pacific to resupply or bring home groups of Americans.

Originally built on the Isle of Man (UK), she was launched on 14 November 1863, as the Euterpe. She made many relatively uneventful voyages to India, before being displaced by steamers after the opening of the Suez Canal. In 1871 she began twenty-five years of carrying passengers and freight to New Zealand, each voyage going eastward around the world before returning to England. In 1897, after 21 round-the-world trips, Euterpe was sold, first to Hawaiian owners, then in 1899 to the Pacific Colonial Ship Company of San Francisco, California, from 1898 to 1901 she made four voyages between the Pacific Northwest, Australia and Hawaii carrying lumber, coal and sugar. In 1901, as the Star of India, she began to carry fishermen, cannery workers, coal and canning supplies each spring from Oakland, California to Nushagak in the Bering Sea, returning each fall with holds full of canned salmon. She was laid up in 1923 after 22 Alaskan voyages. In 1926, Star of India was sold to the Zoological Society of San Diego, California, as the centerpiece of a planned museum, the Depression and World War II caused that plan to be canceled. Starting in 1959 she was restored, progress was slow, but in 1976, Star of India finally put to sea again. From 1976 to 1999 she was the star of Maritime Museum of San Diego, being fully seaworthy, and sailing at least once a year.

When Mexican forces occupied San Diego, Senator Barberela Pugalist, a former mayor of San Diego, insisted that Mexican Forces intentions were to provide humanitarian relief effort required due to the effects of Nuke strikes in Los Angeles area. Having been convinced of the intentions, she declared, San Diego an open city and demanded that US Forces in Southern California not oppose Mexican “relief forces.” US Navy and Marine Corps assets in the San Diego area withdrew, mostly to San Francisco, though some, including the SEAL training cadre from Coronado, withdrew to Catalina Island.

In the San Diego area, the occupation was initially peaceful. Once the Mexican forces had maneuvered to position where they could control the area, it quickly became obvious that the intent was to permanently reclaim, San Diego, and ethnically cleanse the region. Violence against the citizens of San Diego began around 10 June. Soon after the occupation, but turning into a torrent on the night of the 11 - 12 June, an exodus of small boats fleed San Diego and other coastal communities. The Mexican Navy deployed frigates to drive the boats back, sinking several and confiscating others, often throwing the owners overboard many without life preservers. On 19 June, two Mexican frigates were sunk by the US Navy destroyer; USS The Sullivans. This action was coordinated with attacks against Mexican forces guarding the numerous marinas, by a mixed force of law enforcement officials, veterans and local volunteers organized and led by small numbers of SEALs.

In coordination with ‘volunteers” from the Maritime museum, the SEALs took control of the Star of India and sailed her out of San Diego harbor at 0430, despite intense machine gun fire from Mexican soldiers guarding the Coronado bridge. The Star of India sailed to Catalina Island where damage was repaired and she was upgraded, receiving a more powerful generator, and modern communications and navigation equipment, pulled off a ship who’s hull was compromised when the shock wave from the Longbeach nuke drove her aground. She was equipped with a single pedestal mounted 76mm/62 caliber gun mounted on her bow as well as four .50 cal MGs. She was not designed to be a primary combat ship, but was equipped with 4 x 17 Meter rubber hulled inflatable boats which was often used to land SEALs and other raiding parties ashore.

Just a week later she recaptured the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) the Knock Nevis, a ship which belonged to Exxon, but had been captured by Mexican forces and was being sent South to Encinitis as war booty, loaded with refined fuel. It’s capture at Sea earned Commander Tracy Gonzalez, a loyal Mexican-American, a Silver Star.

This was only the first of many amazing feats done by the “Ghost Fleet” an eclectic mix of active duty Navy personnel (including a handful of SEALs), retired Sailors and Marines and local volunteers, which operated a diverse range of small craft including sail powered yachts, against Mexican forces and later pirates. Many of them sported a dazzle camouflage paint job. The Retribution bore that paint job between Sept 1998 – Jan 2001.

The Mexican Federal Government always referred to the Ghost Fleet as Pirates. Three times between Oct 1998 and March 1999, the Mexican Navy conducted indiscriminate and military ineffective bombardment of the City of Avalon. They launched an abortive amphibious assault against Catalina Island in Feb 2000, which failed after intense fighting resulting in the sinking
of the last loyal ships of the Mexican Pacific Flotilla when they were ambushed by two speed boats that had been armed with torpedo launchers, turning them into a type of Patrol Torpedo (PT) boats.

While in truth the campaign was primarily designed to secure access to fisheries, The Mexican Federal Government built a major part of their 1999 propaganda campaign around showing how they were establishing law and order in the newly reclaimed provinces, the spectacular failure of the heavily hyped operation did not contribute to the perception of legitimacy and was a contributing factor to the collapse of that Government.

The Ghost Fleet operated primarily out of Catalina Island but also had support and contacts on other the Channel Islands and along the coast of Southern California and the West Coast of Mexico.

They USS Retribution, was the largest of four sailing vessels, the Ghost Fleet contributed to MILGOV efforts to both resupply and bring home groups of Americans located in various locations throughout the Pacific, she made three sail powered trips to South Korea, Australia and Singapore. This had a secondary purpose of "showing the flag" and reestablishing relations with allies and reopening trade.

While in Singapore, the SEALs assigned to the Retribution, were responsible for placing the limpet charges which sank the infamous Soviet commerce raider, the October Revolution, who was moored nearby port disguised as a Norwegian Trade Ship.