The third USS Quinnebaug was the Old Dominion steamship Jefferson temporarily converted for planting the World War I North Sea Mine Barrage. John Roach & Sons launched Jefferson at Chester, Pennsylvania on 14 October 1898. Jefferson steamed between Norfolk, Virginia and New York City until The United States Shipping Board took control of the ship from Old Dominion Steamship Company in 1917. She was fitted out for United States Navy service at Robins' Dry Dock and Repair Company at Brooklyn, New York. The minelaying conversion enabled her to carry mines on two decks, and included four Otis elevators individually capable of transferring two mines every 20 seconds from the storage deck to the launching deck. USS Quinnebaug was commissioned on 23 March 1918 with Commander D. Pratt Mannix, USN,