Sardonyx during the war years
The vessel was purchased by the Navy from the original owner at New York on 19 June 1941. Immediately after acquiring the yacht, the Navy started converting the vessel for use as a coastal patrol boat. On 18 July 1941, the vessel was renamed Sardonyx, and on 15 August 1941, it was commissioned. Conversion was completed by mid-October 1941, and Sardonyx proceeded for duty to New London, under the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC). Sardonyx served in support of experiments on the varied applications of electronics and underwater sound to naval warfare.
In January 1942, Sardonyx shifted back to New York; but, after a brief yard period, she returned to New London and resumed her work for the NDRC and the Navy's Underwater Sound Laboratory. Decommissioned and placed in service on 3 January 1944, she remained based at New London, conducting operations for the Underwater Sound Laboratory and escorting submarines in the area, through the end of World War II and into 1946.
USS Captor (PYc-40), briefly the seventh ship to bear the name USS Eagle (AM-132), was a Q-ship of the United States Navy.
USS Mackerel (SS-204), the lead ship of her class of submarines, was the first ship of the United States Navy named for the mackerel. Mackerel and her near-sister Marlin were prototype small submarines which the Navy was exploring to replace the aging S-class submarines.
USS Impetuous (PYc-46) was a private yacht purchased by the Navy in August 1940 that served as a patrol boat of the United States Navy in Central America. The yacht was built as Paragon, the first of at least two Davol yachts to bear the name, in 1915 for Charles J. Davol of Providence, Rhode Island. In 1916 Davol sold the yacht to John Fred Betz, 3d of Philadelphia who renamed the yacht Sybilla III which served as the Section Patrol yacht USS Sybilla III (SP-104) from May 1917 to December 1918. Sybilla III remained in Betz's ownership until sale in 1935 to R. Livingston Sullivan of Philadelphia who renamed the yacht Arlis. On 12 August 1940 the Navy purchased the yacht placing it in commission as USS PC-454 on 16 October. The vessel was given the name Impetuous and reclassified PYc-46 on 15 July 1943. The yacht was decommissioned at Philadelphia 31 August 1944 and transferred to the War Shipping Administration for sale.
The second USS Sapphire (PYc-2) was a patrol boat in the United States Navy.
USS Amethyst (PYc-3) was the yacht Samona II taken into service in the United States Navy serving as a patrol boat during World War II. After military service the vessel was returned to civilian status in 1946 and again became the yacht Samona II until sale and subsequent names of Pudlo and Explorer.
USS Onyx (PYc-5), was a diesel coastal patrol yacht of the United States Navy during World War II.
USS Aquamarine (PYc-7) was the former yacht Siele launched in April 1926 by Pusey and Jones Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware. In 1940 Siele was sold and renamed Sea Wolf which was purchased by the Navy in January 1941 and commissioned Aquamarine in April. Though given a "patrol yacht, coastal" designation the yacht was assigned to the Naval Research Laboratory for acoustical research during World War II. After naval service the yacht was again under the name Sea Wolf until sold in 1954 and renamed Miss Ann, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
USS Isabel (SP-521), later PY-10, was a yacht in commission in the United States Navy as a destroyer from 1917 to 1920 and as a patrol yacht from 1921 to 1946.
USS Cymophane (PYc-26) was a Cymophane-class patrol yacht acquired by the United States Navy early during World War II. She was used for patrol, escort, anti-submarine, and rescue operations along coastal waters.
USS Leader (PYc-42) was a Leader-class patrol boat acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of patrolling coastal areas during World War II when there was the danger of enemy submarine activity.
USS Venture (PC-826/PYc-51) was a patrol boat acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of patrolling the coastal waters of the New York coast during World War II. Her primary task was to guard the coastal area against German submarines. For this reason, she carried depth charges.
USS Opal (PYc-8), formerly the yacht named Coronet (1928), was a patrol boat in the United States Navy during World War II and then served in the Ecuadorian navy.
The USS Alabaster (PYc-21) was a coastal patrol yacht of the United States Navy during World War II.
George Lawley & Son was a shipbuilding firm operating in Massachusetts from 1866 to 1945. It began in Scituate, then moved to Boston. After founder George Lawley (1823–1915) retired in 1890, his son, grandson and great-grandson upheld the business, which continued until 1945. Of the hundreds of ships built by the Lawleys, highlights include the yachts Puritan and Mayflower, respective winners of the 1885 and 1886 America's Cup.
USS Valiant (PYc-51), originally USS PC-509, was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1941 to 1944.
USS Raeo (SP-588) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1919. Prior to her U.S. Navy service, she operated as the motor passenger vessel Raeo from 1908 to 1917. After the conclusion of her U.S. Navy career, she served as the fishery patrol vessel USFS Kittiwake in the United States Bureau of Fisheries fleet from 1919 to 1940 and as US FWS Kittiwake in the Fish and Wildlife Service fleet from 1940 to 1942 and from 1944 to at least 1945, and perhaps as late as 1948. During World War II, she again served in the U.S. Navy, this time as the yard patrol boat USS YP-199. She was the civilian fishing vessel Raeo from 1948 to 1957, then operated in various roles as Harbor Queen from 1957 to 1997. She became Entiat Princess in 1998 and as of 2009 was still in service.
Rosinco was a diesel-powered luxury yacht that sank in Lake Michigan off the coast of Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1928. The yacht was built in 1916 as Georgiana III and served during World War I as USS Georgiana III, a Section patrol craft, under a free lease to the Navy by her owner and commanding officer. After the war the yacht was sold and renamed Whitemarsh in 1918. In 1925, after sale to Robert Hosmer Morse of Fairbanks-Morse, the yacht became Rosinco. She was sunk following a collision in 1928 and the wreck was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
USS Tourmaline (PY-20) was a converted yacht that patrolled with the United States Navy in World War II.
USS Jasper (PYc-13) was a coastal patrol yacht in the service of the United States Navy. She was named for the gemstone Jasper.
USS Vagrant (PYc-30) was a yacht which served as a patrol craft in the United States Navy during World War II.
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