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USS Alcedo (SP-166)
Encyclopedia
USS Alcedo (SP-166) was a yacht
in the United States Navy
. She was the first American vessel lost in World War I
.
Alcedo was built in 1895 at Glasgow, Scotland, by D. and W. Henderson and Company
. She was purchased by the Navy on 1 June 1917 from Mr. George W. C. Drexel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and commissioned at New York
on 28 July 1917, Lieutenant Commander
William T. Conn, Jr., in command.
on 5 August 1917. Steaming via Newfoundland and the Azores
, the yacht arrived at Brest
, France
on the 30th. During her brief Navy career, the yacht conducted anti-submarine patrol
s and convoy-escort missions along the French coast. On two occasions, she rescued crew members of torpedo
ed merchantmen. On 17 October, the little warship picked up 118 men from the steamer SS Antilles. Twelve days later, she saved another 85 survivors from SS Finland.
On the afternoon of 4 November, Alcedo departed Quiberon Bay
, France with , and as the escort for a convoy composed of SS Florence Luckenbach, SS Artemis, and SS Newport News bound for Brest. At about 01:45 the following morning, while the convoy was steaming some 75 mi (120.7 km) west of Belle He, an Alcedo crewman reported sighting a surfaced U-boat
. Almost instantaneously with the sounding of the alarm, the German
submarine UC-71
fired a single torpedo in a surface attack. (Some Alcedo records suggest that the U-boat submerged first, but the official German account confirms a surface attack.) Alcedo attempted to change course to evade the torpedo, but she answered her helm sluggishly. The torpedo struck the yacht on the port side well forward, and Alcedo began to settle fast. Soon after the hit, the ship's commanding officer ordered her abandoned, and she went down in eight minutes. The yacht lost one officer, Lieutenant, junior grade
John Melvin, and 20 sailors in the action to both wounds and drowning. The remainder of her crew took to the boats in two separate groups. After a long time rowing, one group — which included the commanding officer — was picked up by a French torpedo boat
. The other was towed to safety by French fishermen.
Alcedo's name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 17 December 1917.
As of 2005, no other ship has been named USS Alcedo.
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was the first American vessel lost in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Alcedo was built in 1895 at Glasgow, Scotland, by D. and W. Henderson and Company
D. and W. Henderson and Company
David & William Henderson and Company was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company, based on Clydeside. The company was founded in 1872 and continued to operate until 1936...
. She was purchased by the Navy on 1 June 1917 from Mr. George W. C. Drexel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and commissioned at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 28 July 1917, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
William T. Conn, Jr., in command.
Service history
Assigned to the Patrol Force, Alcedo departed Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on 5 August 1917. Steaming via Newfoundland and the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, the yacht arrived at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on the 30th. During her brief Navy career, the yacht conducted anti-submarine patrol
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
s and convoy-escort missions along the French coast. On two occasions, she rescued crew members of torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed merchantmen. On 17 October, the little warship picked up 118 men from the steamer SS Antilles. Twelve days later, she saved another 85 survivors from SS Finland.
On the afternoon of 4 November, Alcedo departed Quiberon Bay
Quiberon Bay
The Baie de Quiberon is an area of sheltered water on the south coast of Brittany. The bay is in the Morbihan département.-Geography:The bay is roughly triangular in shape, open to the south with the Gulf of Morbihan to the north-east and the narrow peninsular of Presqu'île de Quiberon providing...
, France with , and as the escort for a convoy composed of SS Florence Luckenbach, SS Artemis, and SS Newport News bound for Brest. At about 01:45 the following morning, while the convoy was steaming some 75 mi (120.7 km) west of Belle He, an Alcedo crewman reported sighting a surfaced U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. Almost instantaneously with the sounding of the alarm, the German
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
submarine UC-71
SM UC-71
SM UC-71 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 12 January 1916 and was launched on 12 August 1916...
fired a single torpedo in a surface attack. (Some Alcedo records suggest that the U-boat submerged first, but the official German account confirms a surface attack.) Alcedo attempted to change course to evade the torpedo, but she answered her helm sluggishly. The torpedo struck the yacht on the port side well forward, and Alcedo began to settle fast. Soon after the hit, the ship's commanding officer ordered her abandoned, and she went down in eight minutes. The yacht lost one officer, Lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
John Melvin, and 20 sailors in the action to both wounds and drowning. The remainder of her crew took to the boats in two separate groups. After a long time rowing, one group — which included the commanding officer — was picked up by a French torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
. The other was towed to safety by French fishermen.
Alcedo's name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 17 December 1917.
As of 2005, no other ship has been named USS Alcedo.