USS ''Lady Anne'' (SP-154) was an armed motor launch that served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as a

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 they ...

from 1917 to 1919.

Construction and design

''Lady Anne'', a wooden-hulled motor launch, was built as a private pleasure craft for Daniel G. Whitlock of

Eltingville, Staten Island Eltingville is a neighborhood in the Staten Island borough of New York City, United States. It is located on Staten Island's South Shore, Staten Island, South Shore, immediately to the south of Great Kills, Staten Island, Great Kills and north ...

, who intended to use her for summer cruises on the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

and

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. Her original name, ''Danna'', was a compression of the given names of Whitlock and his wife Anna. ''Danna'' was designed by Bowes & Mower and built by A. C. Brown & Sons of

Tottenville, Staten Island Tottenville is a neighborhood on the South Shore, Staten Island, South Shore of Staten Island, New York City. It is the southernmost neighborhood and settlement in both New York City and New York (state), New York State, as well as the westernm ...

. She was launched Saturday July 11, 1914 and had her trial trip on Thursday 16 July. ''Danna'' was in length with a beam of , draft of , and gross tonnage of 27. Her cabins were finished in

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

, and she was fitted out with "every convenience" including electric lights. She had nine sleeping berths, toilets and a bath, and was said to be "one of the most complete and up-to-date boats of erkind". ''Danna'' was powered by a four-cylinder, 50 hp four-stroke gasoline engine with bore of and

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

of , delivering a speed of .

Service history

''Danna'' was sold to George P. Walker of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, on an unknown date and renamed ''Lady Anne''. On 10 April 1917, the U.S. Navy purchased her from Walker for use as a patrol vessel 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 enrolled in the Naval Coast Defense Reserve on 19 April 1917 and commissioned on 7 May 1917 at Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, as USS ''Lady Anne'' (SP-154). Assigned to the 6th Naval District, ''Lady Anne'' served 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 ...

and

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

patrol boat based at Savannah. She operated in the lower reaches of the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

and along the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast, inspecting

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

s and sealing wireless

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

s. ''Lady Anne'' was decommissioned on 8 February 1919 and transferred to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service for non-commissioned use as a harbor patrol boat at Charleston. Offered for sale on 13 November 1919, she was withdrawn from sale on 3 February 1920 and transferred to the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

on 25 February 1920.

Footnotes

References

External links

NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Lady Anne (SP 154)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Anne (Sp-154) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Staten Island Individual yachts Motor yachts 1914 ships