May 14, 1917
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 Porto 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.
WOODROW WILSON
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 14, 1917.
Woodrow Wilson, Executive Order 2619A—German Boats Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/275449