It is hereby ordered that, through the Secretary of the Navy, there be taken over to the United States the immediate possession and title of and to the German vessel Odenwald and the German vessel Praesident, now lying in the harbor of San Juan, in the Island of Puerto Rico, and until further directions the Secretary of the Navy is ordered to operate and equip such vessels in the service of the Navy of the United States.

This order shall take effect from date.

Signature of Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson 
The White House,
May 14, 1917.

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).

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