| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | USS Lydia |
| Namesake: | Previous name retained |
| Builder: | George Lawley and Sons, Neponset, Massachusetts |
| Completed: | 1916 |
| Acquired: |
|
| Commissioned: | 18 August 1917 |
| Decommissioned: | 10 April 1919 |
| Fate: | Returned to owner 17 April 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Patrol vessel |
| Tonnage: | 24 tons |
| Length: | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Beam: | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Draft: | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Speed: | 22 knots |
| Complement: | 8 |
| Armament: | 1 × .30-caliber (7.62-millimeter) machine gun |
- Note: This ship should not be confused with the second USS Lydia (ID-3524), which was in commission during an overlapping period.
Note: This ship should not be confused with the first USS Lydia (SP-62), which was in commission during an overlapping period.
The first USS Lydia (SP-62) was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.
A motorboat, speedboat, or powerboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.
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.
Lydia was built as a private motorboat of the same name in 1916 by George Lawley and Sons at Neponset, Massachusetts. The U.S. Navy acquired her for World War I service as a patrol vessel on a free lease from her owner, Joseph Shattuck of New York City, on 28 March 1917 and took delivery of her on 4 April 1917. The Navy commissioned her as USS Lydia (SP-62) at Boston, Massachusetts, on 18 August 1917 with Ensign William T. Pettis, USNRF, in command.
Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named after the Massachusett tribe, which once inhabited the east side of the area, and is one of the original thirteen states. The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the most populous city in New England. Over 80% of Massachusetts's population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, a region influential upon American history, academia, and industry. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. During the 20th century, Massachusetts's economy shifted from manufacturing to services. Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade.
World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.
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 1st Naval District at Boston, Lydia served as a dispatch boat and harbor patrol boat in the port of Boston until 24 November 1917, when she departed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She arrived there on 8 December 1917.
Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message was not possible or safe or as quick.
A harbor or harbour is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term harbor is often used interchangeably with port, which is a man-made facility built for loading and unloading vessels and dropping off and picking up passengers. Ports usually include one or more harbors. Alexandria Port in Egypt is an example of a port with two harbors.
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence duties. There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, police force or customs and may be intended for marine or estuarine or river environments. They are commonly found engaged in various border protection roles, including anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, fisheries patrols, and immigration law enforcement. They are also often called upon to participate in rescue operations. Vessels of this type include the original yacht, a light, fast-sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into shallow waters.
On 8 March 1918, Lydia departed Philadelphia for Norfolk, Virginia, where she arrived on 16 March 1918 and reported for duty with the 5th Naval District. During the remainder of World War I she served as a messenger and dispatch boat at Norfolk.
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 242,803; in 2017, the population was estimated to be 244,703 making it the second-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Beach.
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2018 is over 8.5 million.
After the Armistice with Germany that ended the war on 11 November 1918, Lydia departed Norfolk on 13 March 1919 for Boston, where she arrived on 3 April 1919. She decommissioned on 10 April 1919 at Boston and was returned to Mrs. Joseph Shattuck on 17 April 1919.
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.
