- USS Margaret (SP-527)
USS "Margaret" (SP-527) was a
yacht acquired by theU.S. Navy duringWorld War I . The yacht was outfitted as an armedpatrol craft and was assigned to escort and patrol duty in the NorthAtlantic Ocean . Unfortunately, the vessel had numerous mechanical problems and her captain -- Lieutenant CommanderFrank Jack Fletcher ofWorld War II fame – and was not an effective fighting ship.A yacht built in Pennsylvania
USS "Margaret", a 245 gross ton patrol vessel, was built at
Chester, Pennsylvania , in 1899 by the firm of John Roach & Sons as a private steam yacht. Named "Eugenia", "Marjorie", and "Margaret" during the years prior to World War I, she was taken over by the Navy in August 1917 for overseas service in that conflict. Following conversion, the ship was placed in commission in mid-October 1917, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Frank Jack Fletcher, who would lead U.S. carrier task forces during critical phases of the next World War.World War I service
Early in November "Margaret" began a voyage to the
Europe an war zone, towing a Frenchsubmarine chaser and accompanied by several other converted yachts. This trip, accompanied by many troubles, ended in theAzores early in December. "Margaret's" mechanical difficulties were apparently so serious that she remained in the Azores for several months, and perhaps for the rest of the war.Post-war dispositioning
She returned to the
United States following the November 1918Armistice and, some two years after being decommissioned, was sold at the end of September 1921.See also
*
U.S. Navy
*World War I References
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/sp527.htm USS Margaret (SP-527), 1917-1921. Previously the civilian steam yacht Margaret (ex-Eugenia, ex-Marjorie, 1899)]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/170527.htm NavSource Online: Margaret (SP 527)]
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