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USS Zenith (SP-61)
Encyclopedia
USS Zenith (SP-61) was an armed motorboat
that served in the United States Navy
as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1918.
Zenith was a motorboat
or yacht
designed with the possibility of naval service in mind when she was constructed in 1917 at Camden
, New Jersey
, by the Mathis Yacht Building Company
. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 21 April 1917 at Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, from Charles Longstreet of Philadelphia for service as a patrol vessel in World War I
. She was designated SP-61 and commissioned as USS Zenith at Philadelphia on 23 April 1917.
Assigned to section-patrol duty, Zenith conducted surveillance patrols to protect the harbors and estuaries of the 4th Naval District coastline—Pennsylvania, Delaware
, and southern New Jersey—from enemy incursion, primarily against submarine
and minelaying operations. She served until hostilities ended on 11 November 1918.
Zenith was decommissioned
on 21 November 1918, just 10 days after the armistice
. That same day, her name was struck from the Navy list and Zenith was returned to her owner.
Motorboat
A motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...
that served 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...
as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1918.
Zenith was a motorboat
Motorboat
A motorboat is a boat which is powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a...
or yacht
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...
designed with the possibility of naval service in mind when she was constructed in 1917 at Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, by the Mathis Yacht Building Company
John H. Mathis & Company
John H. Mathis & Company was a shipbuilding company founded around 1900, based at Cooper Point in Camden, New Jersey, on the Delaware River. At their shipyard at Point and Erie Streets, the company built luxury yachts and also commercial ships. During World War II a variety of Naval vessels were...
. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 21 April 1917 at Philadelphia
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,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, from Charles Longstreet of Philadelphia for service as a patrol vessel 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...
. She was designated SP-61 and commissioned as USS Zenith at Philadelphia on 23 April 1917.
Assigned to section-patrol duty, Zenith conducted surveillance patrols to protect the harbors and estuaries of the 4th Naval District coastline—Pennsylvania, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, and southern New Jersey—from enemy incursion, primarily against 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...
and minelaying operations. She served until hostilities ended on 11 November 1918.
Zenith 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....
on 21 November 1918, just 10 days after the armistice
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
. That same day, her name was struck from the Navy list and Zenith was returned to her owner.