USS ''Zenith'' (SP-61) was an armed

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 ...

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 Section patrol vessel from 1917 to 1918. ''Zenith'' was a

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

for Charles Longstreth of Philadelphia, Commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia. The design was approved by naval authorities with the possibility of naval reserve service in mind. ''Zenith'' was turned over to naval authorities just before completion. ''Zenith'' was the second Longstreth vessel in naval service. The first of the designated S.P. type, , entered naval service 27 March 1917. Longstreth had been commissioned a Lieutenant Commander by the Navy and expected to command ''Zenith'' as he had ''Arawan II''. The boat was powered by two , eight cylinder Duesenberg diesel engines with estimated speed of at maximum 1,200 revolutions per minute. Armament was expected to be one 3-pounder gun forward and two machine guns aft with a complement of nine men. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 21 April 1917 at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania for service as a patrol vessel in

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 designated SP-61 and commissioned as USS ''Zenith'' at Philadelphia on 23 April 1917. Assigned to section-patrol duty, ''Zenith'' conducted surveillance patrols to protect the harbors and estuaries of the

4th Naval District United States Naval Districts is a system created by the United States Navy to organize military facilities, numbered sequentially by geographic region, for the operational and administrative control of naval bases and shore commands in the Unit ...

coastline—Pennsylvania,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, and southern New Jersey—from enemy incursion, primarily against

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 ...

and

minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...

operations. She served until hostilities ended on 11 November 1918. ''Zenith'' was decommissioned on 21 November 1918, just 10 days after the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

. That same day, her name was struck from the Navy list and ''Zenith'' was returned to her owner.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zenith (SP-61) 1917 ships patrol vessels of the United States Navy ships built by the Mathis Yacht Building Company World War I patrol vessels of the United States