USS ''Inca'' (SP-1212) was a 62-foot-long

motorboat A motorboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine; faster examples may be called "speedboats". Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the inter ...

leased by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She was outfitted as a patrol craft, but was additionally assigned other duties, such as rescue craft,

seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

, and

dispatch boat 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 w ...

. She served in the

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and

Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean. ...

, waterways until war's end when she was returned to her owner.

Constructed in Rhode Island

The third ship to be so named by the U.S. Navy, ''Inca'' was a motor boat, built in 1917 and acquired by the Navy from her owner, F. B. McQuesten of

. USS ''Inca'', a 23-ton motor patrol boat, was one of a group of nine motor boats built by Herreshoff Manufacturing Company,

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States, as well as the county seat. The population of Bristol was 22,493 at the 2020 census. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. Major industries include boat buil ...

, in 1917 in the expectation that their private owners would make them available for First World War service. She was acquired by the Navy in July 1917 and commissioned 28 July 1917 at Boston.

World War I service

A versatile craft, ''Inca'' was first assigned to the First Naval District and patrolled outer

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

. She also performed coast

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

duties with

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s during this period, and acted as test ship for submarine signaling and detector devices. She was reassigned to Fifth Naval District in October 1917 and arrived

, 3 November. ''Inca's'' job was to serve as rescue ship for aircraft from the Naval Air Station on flights over the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

and

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. She also served as a

during 1918, and spent time on harbor patrol in Hampton Roads. ''Inca'' was assigned 26 July 1918 to the Industrial Department, Hampton Roads, as a

, and remained on this duty for the rest of her time in Navy service. ''Inca'' lost her name in 1918 and was thereafter called simply USS ''SP-1212''.

Post-war disposition

''Inca'' was returned to her owner on 17 April 1919 after the end of the wartime emergency.

References

*
USS Inca (SP-1212), 1917-1919. Later renamed SP-1212
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inca (SP-1212) World War I patrol vessels of the United States World War I auxiliary ships of the United States Patrol vessels of the United States Navy Dispatch boats of the United States Navy Seaplane tenders of the United States Navy Ships built in Bristol, Rhode Island 1917 ships