USS Remlik (SP-157)
Encyclopedia
USS Remlik (SP-157) (sometimes spelled Remlick) was a yacht
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I
. She was converted into an armed patrol craft and assigned to protect ships from German submarine
s in the North Atlantic Ocean
. Post-war she was decommissioned, stripped of naval ordnance and sold in Norfolk, Virginia
.
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Remlik was built as the steam
-powered civilian
yacht SS Candace in 1903 by Cook, Walton, and Gimmell at Hull
, England
. She later was renamed SS Remlik. The U.S. Navy purchased Remlik from her owner, Willis S. Kilmer of Binghamton
, New York
, on 1 June 1917 for use as a patrol vessel during World War I
. She was delivered to the Navy on 10 June 1917 and, after conversion into a patrol vessel, was commissioned
on 11 July 1917 as USS Remlik (SP-157) with Lieutenant Commander
I. C. Johnson in command.
Following commissioning, Remlik got underway for France
, where, in the late summer
of 1917, she assumed antisubmarine patrol and coastal escort duties in the Bay of Biscay
. Originally with the 2nd Patrol Division, she later was transferred to the 8th Patrol Division.
Remlik was on patrol duty, fighting a storm, on the morning of 17 December 1917 when she sighted a German
submarine
off her starboard beam
. The submarine submerged before Remliks gun crews could fire. The submarines periscope
reappeared three times, but the extremely rough weather prevented the submarine from firing her torpedo
es and she finally disappeared.
Remlik, although prohibited from using her depth charge
s by her speed - only 2 knots against the gale
- remained in the area in the hope that the submarine would reappear. Shortly after the submarine was last seen, however, the depth charge box on Remlicks taffrail
aft
was washed overboard. Its depth charge, however, fell inboard, lost its safety pin - arming it - and began rolling around on deck. In the ensuing minutes, Chief Boatswain
s Mate John MacKenzie
(1886-1933) ran down the deck and, despite the rolling and pitching of the vessel, got a firm grip on the armed depth charge, put it on end, then sat on it to hold it in place until others could lash it down. Mackenzie was awarded the Medal of Honor
for his actions.
Remlik continued her patrols and escorted ships along the French coast through the remainder of World War I.
for inactivation. She was decommissioned
at Norfolk
, Virginia
, on 7 November 1919 and was sold to J. S. Webster of Baltimore, Maryland
, on 7 June 1920.
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...
acquired by the U.S. Navy during 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...
. She was converted into an armed patrol craft and assigned to protect ships from German submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s in the North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Post-war she was decommissioned, stripped of naval ordnance and sold in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
.
Construction, acquisition, and commissioning
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
-powered civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
yacht SS Candace in 1903 by Cook, Walton, and Gimmell at Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She later was renamed SS Remlik. The U.S. Navy purchased Remlik from her owner, Willis S. Kilmer of Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, 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 1 June 1917 for use as a patrol vessel during 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...
. She was delivered to the Navy on 10 June 1917 and, after conversion into a patrol vessel, was commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 11 July 1917 as USS Remlik (SP-157) with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
I. C. Johnson in command.
United States Navy service
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...
, where, in the late summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
of 1917, she assumed antisubmarine patrol and coastal escort duties in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
. Originally with the 2nd Patrol Division, she later was transferred to the 8th Patrol Division.
Remlik was on patrol duty, fighting a storm, on the morning of 17 December 1917 when she sighted a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
off her starboard beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
. The submarine submerged before Remliks gun crews could fire. The submarines periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
reappeared three times, but the extremely rough weather prevented the submarine from firing her 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...
es and she finally disappeared.
Remlik, although prohibited from using her depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s by her speed - only 2 knots against the gale
Gale
A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...
- remained in the area in the hope that the submarine would reappear. Shortly after the submarine was last seen, however, the depth charge box on Remlicks taffrail
Taffrail
A Taffrail is the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved. A taffrail log is an object dragged from the stern of the vessel to calculate the vessel's speed through the water...
aft
Aft
Aft, in naval terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning, towards the stern of the ship, when the frame of reference is within the ship. Example: "Able Seaman Smith; lay aft!". Or; "What's happening aft?"...
was washed overboard. Its depth charge, however, fell inboard, lost its safety pin - arming it - and began rolling around on deck. In the ensuing minutes, Chief Boatswain
Boatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
s Mate John MacKenzie
John MacKenzie (sailor)
John MacKenzie was a sailor in the United States Naval Reserve and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
(1886-1933) ran down the deck and, despite the rolling and pitching of the vessel, got a firm grip on the armed depth charge, put it on end, then sat on it to hold it in place until others could lash it down. Mackenzie was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for his actions.
Remlik continued her patrols and escorted ships along the French coast through the remainder of World War I.
Decommissioning and disposal
After the end of hostilities, Remlik returned to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for inactivation. She was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
at Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on 7 November 1919 and was sold to J. S. Webster of Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, on 7 June 1920.