Yankton
A county and its seat in southeastern South Dakota. They are located on the Missouri River.
 DANFS
The Yacht was one of 9 Auxiliary ships that sailed with the GREAT WHITE FLEET in the years 1907 -09
The father of RADM Joe Vasey served on the Yankton as a storekeeper.

In Feb. of 1909 Yankton carried $800,000 in gold pieces fresh from the Government Mint to pay the officers and men of the Atlantic fleet completeing its cruise around the world. The Yankton also took a supply of the new signal code. Read more on OTHER CARGOS.

The USS Yankton was originally a yacht named Penelope and was built in 1893 by Ramage & Ferguson in Leith, Scotland. The Penelope was a 975-ton, steel-hulled schooner that was 185 feet long, almost 28 feet wide and carried a crew of 78 officers and men. When the Spanish-American war started in April 1898, the US Navy was short of warships and decided to purchase the Penelope and convert it into a gunboat. The ship was acquired in May 1898 and was renamed the USS Yankton after a county in South Dakota. The Yankton was armed with six 3-pounders and several other smaller caliber guns. She was commissioned on 16 May 1898 and was sent to Cuba on 18 June. Read more at Naval Warfare Blog.     The Book Yankton.    See: NavSource

Yankton was converted into a gunboat such as this model displays.