lapwingclass

The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., August 13, 1920 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86058226/1920-08-13/ed-... reports that the U.S. was awarded 5 German warships after WWI and that they would visit several ports before being destroyed. They included the battleship Ostfriesland and the cruiser Frankfort. Albuquerque morning journal., August 24, 1920, CITY EDITION, page 2 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84031081/1920-08-24/ed-... has a picture (very poorly reproduced) that could be of this scene. It says that four of the five ships were tied up in the Hudson River, New York. The ships in the picture are thus likely to be the cruiser Frankfort (or Frankfurt) and destroyers C-102, V-43, and S-132. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Frankfurt

The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces, Volume 57, Part 2 books.google.com/books?id=oEG17z92iSsC&pg=PA1535&... describes the operation of bringing the vessels across the Atlantic. The Ostfriesland came under her own steam and towed the Frankfurt. The others were towed by the U.S. minesweepers Falcon, Redwing, and Rail.

See also The Ogden standard-examiner., July 15, 1920, LAST EDITION, Image 7 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058393/1920-07-15/ed-...

The same photo as in the Albuquerque morning journal., August 24, 1920 in a (little) better quality is in The Chickasha daily express., August 19, 1920, Page PAGE FIVE, Image 5 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86090528/1920-08-19/ed-...

This Bain photo pictures (left to right) the German large torpedo boats V 43, G 102 and S 132 and the American minesweeper USS Redwing (AM-48), s. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:German_torpedo_boats_in_US_LOC... The V 43 was a V 25-class torpedo boat en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_ocean-going_torpedo_boats_an...: V 43 - launched 27 Jan 1915 - completed 28 May 1915 - Interned, Scapa Flow, 22 Nov 1918; attempted scuttling on 21 Jun 1919 failed and ship recovered; to USA, 1920; sunk as air bombing target off Cape Henry, 15 Jul 1921. S 132 see: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/39773555110/ G 102 see: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/41581672881/

The ship in the distant background is the Lapwing-class minesweeper USS PELICAN (AM 27).

Is that a Naval ship?

Yes, this is USS Gannet (AVP-8), which was used as the support ship for the 1929 Alaskan Aerial Survey. She'd later be "[t]orpedoed and sunk by U-653 off Bermuda 7 June 1942 while searching for a torpedoed freighter." See: historian.iwarp.com/research.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gannet_(AM-41)