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USS Lydonia (SP-700)
Encyclopedia
USS Lydonia (SP-700) was a 497 gross ton yacht
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I
. She was outfitted as a patrol craft and spent most of the war based out of Gibraltar
, escorting and protecting Allied ships in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic Ocean
coast of Europe
. Post-war she was transferred to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as USCGS Lydonia (CS-302).
, Wilmington, Delaware
, in 1912; acquired by the Navy 21 August 1917 from William A. Lydon; and commissioned 27 October 1917, Lt. Cmdr, R. P. McCullough in command.
, the converted yacht departed the Caribbean
in mid November and arrived Horta, Azores
, 7 December 1917. Two weeks later she arrived Gibraltar to join the U.S. patrol squadron operating along the Atlantic and Mediterranean sides of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Assigned the task of protecting Mediterranean supply convoy
s, Lydonia remained on constant vigil for deadly U-boat
s during the early. months of 1918. She made two attacks on enemy submarine
s in February while guarding Allied convoys and although the results were negative. the experience was to pay off at a later date.
to Gibraltar when she encountered
German submarine UB-70. With the British destroyer Basilisk, the patrol craft made coordinated depth charge
attacks at 1735, after the British merchant ship SS Ingleside was destroyed by a torpedo
. After 15 minutes of running battle, the attack was curtailed and survivors of Ingleside were rescued. Heavy seas prevented an immediate assessment of possible damage to the submarine, but later evaluations credited Lydonia and Basilisk with sinking UB 70.
and Caribbean
ports en route to the United States
, she arrived Hampton Roads, Virginia, 6 February 1919.
, 7 August 1919 and was transferred to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey the same day.
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 outfitted as a patrol craft and spent most of the war based out of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, escorting and protecting Allied ships in the Mediterranean and along the 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...
coast of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Post-war she was transferred to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as USCGS Lydonia (CS-302).
Built in Wilmington, Delaware
Lydonia (SP 700) was built by Pusey and JonesPusey and Jones
The Pusey and Jones Corporation was a major ship and equipment manufacturer from 1846 to 1959. Ship building was the primary focus from 1853 until the end of World War II, when the company converted the shipyard to production of paper manufacturing machinery...
, Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, in 1912; acquired by the Navy 21 August 1917 from William A. Lydon; and commissioned 27 October 1917, Lt. Cmdr, R. P. McCullough in command.
Based out of Gibraltar
After repairs and target practice off BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, the converted yacht departed the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
in mid November and arrived Horta, Azores
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
, 7 December 1917. Two weeks later she arrived Gibraltar to join the U.S. patrol squadron operating along the Atlantic and Mediterranean sides of the Straits of Gibraltar.
Assigned the task of protecting Mediterranean supply convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s, Lydonia remained on constant vigil for deadly 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...
s during the early. months of 1918. She made two attacks on enemy 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 February while guarding Allied convoys and although the results were negative. the experience was to pay off at a later date.
Encountering U-boat UB-70
On 8 May, Lydonia was steaming with a convoy from BizerteBizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
to Gibraltar when she encountered
Action of 8 May 1918
The Action of 8 May 1918 was a small naval engagement which occurred off Algiers, North Africa during World War I. In the action, an American armed yacht and a British destroyer encountered the German U-boat...
German submarine UB-70. With the British destroyer Basilisk, the patrol craft made coordinated 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...
attacks at 1735, after the British merchant ship SS Ingleside was destroyed by a 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...
. After 15 minutes of running battle, the attack was curtailed and survivors of Ingleside were rescued. Heavy seas prevented an immediate assessment of possible damage to the submarine, but later evaluations credited Lydonia and Basilisk with sinking UB 70.
End-of-war operations
For the rest of the war, Lydonia continued escort operations from Bizerte to Gibraltar, playing a major role in the free movement of vital wartime supplies. Calling in AzoresAzores
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...
and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
ports en route to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she arrived Hampton Roads, Virginia, 6 February 1919.
Post-war disposal
Lydonia decommissioned at Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, 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....
, 7 August 1919 and was transferred to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey the same day.