USS ''St. Sebastian'' (SP-470) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

in commission from 1917 to 1919. ''St. Sebastian'' was built as a private

motorboat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively 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 gea ...

of the same name by Captain R. D. Hardee at St. Sebastian, Florida. On 25 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her from her owner, J. W. Taylor of Marathon, Florida, for use as a

section patrol A Section Patrol Craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential wartime service before, during, and shortly after World War I. Historical overview The SP/ID registration system In 1916, with World War I raging a ...

vessel during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. She was commissioned as USS ''St. Sebastian'' (SP-470) on 9 August 1917. ''St. Sebastian'' operated on patrol duty in Florida waters for the rest of World War I and into early 1919. She was out of commission and awaiting sale when she became one of several section patrol boats destroyed at Key West, Florida, on 9 September 1919 by the Florida Keys Hurricane. Sources vary as to when ''St. Sebastian'' was stricken from the

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the 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 autho ...

. It may have occurred on 24 April 1919 in advance of her being put up for sale or on 4 October 1919 after her destruction.

Notes

References

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Department of the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS ''Saint Sebastian'' (SP-470), 1917–1919. Originally the civilian motor boat ''St. Sebastian''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Sebastian (SP-470) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Florida Maritime incidents in 1919 Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys