- USS Galatea (SP-714)
USS "Galatea" (SP-714/YP-714) was a
yacht acquired by theU.S. Navy duringWorld War I . She was outfitted as an armedpatrol craft and served in the NorthAtlantic Ocean . At war’s end she was used as areceiving ship inPortsmouth, New Hampshire , for submariners before being sold in 1921.A yacht built in Delaware
The second ship to be so named by the U.S. Navy, "Galatea" was a fresh water yacht built in 1914 by
Pusey and Jones ofWilmington, Delaware ; purchased by the Navy14 July 1917 atDetroit, Michigan , from B. L. Ford,Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan , and commissioned at Detroit25 August 1917 , Lt. Comdr. O. T. McClurg,USNRF , in command.World War I service
"Galatea" departed Detroit
25 August 1917 for theBoston Navy Yard where she decommissioned26 September for conversion to an armed patrol craft. She recommissioned16 November 1917 , Lt. H. D. Hinckley, USCG, in command. Next proceeding toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , she sailed from there for theAzores 15 December 1917 with French "Submarine Chaser 314" in tow. Proceeding by way ofBermuda , "Galatea" arrivedPonta Delgada , Azores,22 January 1918 , racked and strained by the towing of the submarine chaser. Damage required repairs until May of 1919 when she began service as an interisland transport in the Azores.She carried the American Consul from Ponta Delgada for official calls on the governors of Horta, Fayal and Angra, Terceira, returning to her base in time to honor Navy Seaplane "NC-3" on
19 May , and Navy Seaplane "NC-4" on20 May , as they arrived in Ponta Delgada on the historic first transoceanic flight.Decommissioning and disposal
"Galatea" departed Ponta Delgada
7 June 1919 forBoston, Massachusetts , where she decommissioned15 July . The following year she was towed to the Portsmouth Navy Yard inKittery, Maine , to serve asreceiving ship forsubmarine crews. She was sold atPortsmouth, New Hampshire ,20 December 1921 to Captain A. A. Tanos ofNew York City .See also
*
U.S. Navy
*World War I Reference
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