- USS May (SP-164)
USS "May" (SP-164) was a
yacht purchased by theU.S. Navy duringWorld War I . She was outfitted with two 3-inch guns and machine guns, and was assigned to patrol theAtlantic Ocean coast andCaribbean and to protect Allied ships from Germansubmarines . After over two years of patrol work, she ran aground off Cape Engano on theDominican Republic and had to be abandoned.A Scottish-built yacht
"May", a 1,100-ton (displacement) steam yacht built in
1891 by Ailsa Shipbuilding Co.,Troon ,Scotland , was purchased by the Navy from J. R. De Lamar11 August 1917 ; and commissioned7 October 1917 .World War I service
Operating out of
New London, Connecticut , "May" patrolled along the Atlantic coast and in theCaribbean during World War I, protecting vital Allied shipping from GermanU-boat s.Run aground and abandoned
As of March
1919 , she was intended for eventual service as aflagship , but she ran aground on a reef off Cape Engano,Santo Domingo ,27 July 1919 ; after efforts to refloat her failed she was declared abandoned28 February 1920 .After unfruitful attempts to refloat her, "May's" wreck was offered for sale. However, no purchasers appeared, and she was abandoned as unsalable in June
1923 .Awards and honors
Ensign
Tedford H. Cann ,USNRF was awarded theMedal of Honor for "courageous conduct" on board USS May in November1917 . His citation reads:See also
*
U.S. Navy
*World War I References
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* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/sp164.htm USS May (SP-164), 1917-1919]
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