 USS Tuna (SP-664) in a harbor in the northeastern United States in 1917. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | USS Tuna |
| Namesake: | Previous name retained |
| Builder: | Neilson Yacht Building Company, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Completed: | 1911 |
| Acquired: | 11 June 1917 |
| Commissioned: | 12 June 1917 |
| Struck: | 11 January 1919 |
| Fate: | Returned to owner 11 January 1919 |
| Notes: | Operated as private yacht Tuna 1911-1917 and from 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Patrol vessel |
| Tonnage: | 81 gross register tons |
| Length: | 94 ft 0 in (28.65 m) |
| Beam: | 16 ft 0 in (4.88 m) |
| Draft: | 4 ft 0 in (1.22 m) mean |
| Speed: | 12 knots |
| Complement: | 19 |
| Armament: |
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The first USS Tuna (SP-664) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1919.
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most capable navy in the world and it has been estimated that in terms of tonnage of its active battle fleet alone, it is larger than the next 13 navies combined, which includes 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, and two new carriers under construction. With 319,421 personnel on active duty and 99,616 in the Ready Reserve, the Navy is the third largest of the service branches. It has 282 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft as of March 2018, making it the second-largest air force in the world, after the United States Air Force.
Tuna was built as a private motor yacht of the same name by the Neilson Yacht Building Company at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1911. On 11 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free lease from her owner, Edward L. Welch of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for use as a section patrol boat during World War I. She was commissioned as USS Tuna (SP-664) on 12 June 1917.
A yacht is a watercraft used for pleasure or sports. The term originates from the Dutch word jacht, and was originally referencing light fast sailing vessels that the Dutch Republic navy used to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries. The yacht was popularized by Charles II of England as a pleasure or recreation vessel following his restoration in 1660.
Maryland is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State. It is named after the English queen Henrietta Maria, known in England as Queen Mary.
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee (user) to pay the lessor (owner) for use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial or business equipment is also leased.
Assigned to the 2nd Naval District in southern New England and based at the Block Island section base in Rhode Island, Tuna patrolled the coastline between Long Island, New York, and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts for the rest of World War I.
New England is a geographical and cultural region composed of six states of the northeastern United States: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north, respectively. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and southeast, and Long Island Sound is to the south. Boston is New England's largest city as well as the capital of Massachusetts. The largest metropolitan area is Greater Boston with nearly a third of the entire region's population, which also includes Worcester, Massachusetts, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Providence, Rhode Island.
Block Island is located off the coast of Rhode Island, approximately 14 miles (23 km) east of Montauk Point, Long Island, and 13 miles (21 km) south from mainland Rhode Island, from which it is separated by Block Island Sound. It was named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block.
Rhode Island, officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest state in area, the seventh least populous, and the second most densely populated, but it has the longest official name of any state. Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west, Massachusetts to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound. It also shares a small maritime border with New York. Providence is the state capital and most populous city in Rhode Island.
Tuna was stricken from the Navy List on 11 January 1919 and returned to Welch the same day.
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country.
