Naval Registry Identification Number
Encyclopedia
A Naval Registry Identification Number is a unique identifier
that the U.S. Navy used for privately owned and naval vessels in the first half of the 20th century.
During World War I
, in 1916, the U.S. Navy began a registry of privately owned pleasure craft
and yacht
s that were available for patrol service in the event the United States
was drawn into the conflict. "Section Patrol" ("SP") numbers were assigned in a series beginning with SP-1 and ultimately extending to well over 4,000. As the registration process continued, other types of ships and craft were included for which the "Section Patrol" designation was clearly inappropriate, and these were generally given "Identification" ("ID") numbers in the same series as the "SP"s. In addition, some vessels that were numbered with an "SP" prefix before 1918 later had that prefix changed to "ID". The registry, and the SP/ID number series, was continued at least into the early 1920s, with new numbers being assigned to ships completed or examined after the end of World War I. The latter category included some ships that served in the Navy, without numbers, during 1917-1919.
Strictly speaking, these SP/ID registry numbers were not U.S. Navy "hull number
s", which would not be formally adopted until mid-1920. Many of the ships and craft so numbered had no Navy service, while others that were acquired and employed by the Navy received no numbers. However, like hull numbers, the SP/ID numbers were used for record-keeping purposes and were often painted on the exterior of vessels (especially patrol types) to facilitate identification.
List of craft with Naval Registry Identification Numbers on Wikipedia:
Unique identifier
With reference to a given set of objects, a unique identifier is any identifier which is guaranteed to be unique among all identifiers used for those objects and for a specific purpose...
that the U.S. Navy used for privately owned and naval vessels in the first half of the 20th century.
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...
, in 1916, the U.S. Navy began a registry of privately owned pleasure craft
Pleasure craft
A pleasure craft is a boat used for personal, family, and sometimes sportsmanlike recreation. Typically such watercraft are motorized and are used for holidays, for example on a river, lake, canal or waterway. Pleasure craft are normally kept at a marina...
and 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...
s that were available for patrol service in the event the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was drawn into the conflict. "Section Patrol" ("SP") numbers were assigned in a series beginning with SP-1 and ultimately extending to well over 4,000. As the registration process continued, other types of ships and craft were included for which the "Section Patrol" designation was clearly inappropriate, and these were generally given "Identification" ("ID") numbers in the same series as the "SP"s. In addition, some vessels that were numbered with an "SP" prefix before 1918 later had that prefix changed to "ID". The registry, and the SP/ID number series, was continued at least into the early 1920s, with new numbers being assigned to ships completed or examined after the end of World War I. The latter category included some ships that served in the Navy, without numbers, during 1917-1919.
Strictly speaking, these SP/ID registry numbers were not U.S. Navy "hull number
Hull number
Hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. A lower number implies an older vessel. The precise usage varies by country and type....
s", which would not be formally adopted until mid-1920. Many of the ships and craft so numbered had no Navy service, while others that were acquired and employed by the Navy received no numbers. However, like hull numbers, the SP/ID numbers were used for record-keeping purposes and were often painted on the exterior of vessels (especially patrol types) to facilitate identification.
List of craft with Naval Registry Identification Numbers on Wikipedia:
- USS Texan (ID-1354)USS Texan (ID-1354)USS Texan was a United States Navy cargo ship and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.Texan was built in 1902 at Camden, New Jersey, by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation as the passenger ship SS Texan for the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company...
- USS Atglen (ID-1315)USS Atglen (ID-1315)USS Atglen , also sometimes listed as ID-1350, was a United States Navy barge in service from 1917 to 1919.Atglen was laid down as a non-self-propelled commercial barge at South Roundout, New York, in 1900. The U.S...
- USS Alameda (ID-1432)USS Alameda (ID-1432)Note: This ship should not be confused with the motorboat Alameda, considered for World War I service as USS Alameda , but also never acquired or commissioned....
- USS Standard Arrow (ID-1532)USS Standard Arrow (ID-1532)USS Standard Arrow was a United States Navy tanker in commission from 1917 to 1919. She was built as SS Standard Arrow for the Standard Oil Company. In World War II, she was again acquired by the U.S...
- USS Oosterdijk (ID-2586)USS Oosterdijk (ID-2586)USS Oosterdijk was a United States Navy cargo ship in commission in 1918.-Construction, acquisition, and commissioning:SS Oosterdijk was built as a commercial cargo ship with passenger accommodations in 1913 at West Hartlepool, England, by Irvine Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Ltd., for the...
- USS Arizonan (ID-4542A)USS Arizonan (ID-4542A)USS Arizonan , also written ID-4542-A was a United States Navy cargo ship and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.-Construction and commercial service, 1902-1918:...
- USS Alaskan (ID-4542)USS Alaskan (ID-4542)USS Alaskan was a United States Navy cargo ship and troop transport in commission from 1918 to 1919.-Construction and commercial service, 1902-1918:...
- USS Suwanee (ID-1320)USS Suwanee (ID-1320)USS Suwanee was a United States Navy transport in commission in 1919. She was the second ship to carry her name.-Construction and service history:...
- USS De Grasse (ID-1217)USS De Grasse (ID-1217)USS De Grasse was the projected name for an armed yacht that the United States Navy acquired for service as a patrol vessel in 1918 but, according to some sources, never commissioned, although other sources claim she saw brief naval service in 1918.De Grasse was under construction as a...
- USS America (ID-3006)USS America (ID-3006)USS America was a troop transport for the United States Navy during World War I. She was launched in 1905 as SS Amerika by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the Hamburg America Line of Germany. As a passenger liner, she sailed primarily between Hamburg and New York...
External Links
- Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center - http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/shusn-no/spid-no.htm