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USS Vedette (SP-163)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Vedette (SP-163) was a commercial yacht
built in 1899. At the outbreak of World War I
, the yacht was leased by the United States Navy
, and was used as a patrol vessel in the North Atlantic Ocean
. She served honorably during the war, rescuing survivors at sea, and attacking a German
U-Boat
. At war’s end, she was converted to her original configuration and returned to her owner, the railroad executive, financier
, and philanthropist
Frederick W. Vanderbilt (1856-1938) of New York City
.
, by Bath Iron Works
for New York City merchant Isaac Stern — was delivered on 23 December 1899. In 1916, the yacht was acquired by the Frederick W. Vanderbilt and renamed Vedette.
basis on 4 May 1917. Earmarked for convoy
escort and patrol duty overseas, Vedette was assigned the section patrol
number SP-163 and was commissioned
at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York
, on 28 May 1917 with Lieutenant Commander
Chester L. Hand in command.
, New York, bound for Bermuda
on 9 June 1917 on the first leg of their voyage to France
. and were the first to weigh anchor; , , {USS|Noma|SP-131}}, and Vedette followed. The ships formed up into divisions, with Vedette leading the second group.
On the evening of the 12 June 1917, they anchored in St. George's
harbor at Bermuda. They remained in Bermuda for a little over three days, coaling ship and taking on water. The vessels got underway again on the morning of 16 June 1917 and reached the Azores
on 25 June 1917.
, France. En route, they soon encountered abundant evidence that they were entering a war zone. Vedette spotted "considerable floating wreckage and a cork life belt" upon which no name was visible on the evening of 2 July 1917. The next morning, she spotted more of the same: boxes, barrels, a broken life-belt, and pieces of planking from an anonymous ship or ships — mute evidence of a sinking.
The squadron sighted the French coast at 0440 on 4 July 1917, but before they could make it into port, Christabel broke down and Vedette stood by until she could get underway again. Later, as the ships made their way toward Brest, a French torpedo boat
came out and greeted the American force. The six patrol vessels were among the first ships of the United States Navy to reach French waters in World War I.
Over the next 10 days, Vedette prepared for the operations that lay ahead. She finally put to sea, in company with Harvard, on the morning of 16 July 1917.
to the southward of Belle Île
. Vedette patrolled the southern half of the line while Harvard prowled the northern.
Vedette returned to Brest on 19 July 1917, without having met the enemy, but she did encounter more wreckage, including life rings from an unidentified ship. She twice more patrolled the area between Brest and Ushant, near Belle Isle, before the end of July 1917.
Vedette remained in port the first few days of August 1917, and she suffered slight damage on the morning of 3 August 1917 when Christabel - while shifting moorings — raked her stern, carrying away the flagstaff and damaging the after rail. Nevertheless, Vedette stood out to sea at 1700 that afternoon in the screen of an outward-bound convoy of 10 merchant ships which were also protected by Harvard, three French patrol vessels, and two British ships.
Vedette left that convoy at 0050 on 4 August 1917 and patrolled the vicinity until 0650, when she picked up a Brest-bound convoy of 19 merchantmen escorted by three patrol boats. Vedette anchored at Brest at 1025 the same day, but her respite was short. Less than six hours later, she stood out with a convoy of 16 merchantmen, three French patrol boats, and Harvard.
Vedette left that convoy when it passed out of the coastal danger zone and waited to pick up a Brest-bound convoy at 1655 on 5 August 1917. While en route in, Harvard broke down, and Vedette stood by until her longstanding partner was ready to proceed.
Vedette was docked at Brest shortly after noon that day for alterations. After the work was completed during the forenoon watch (0800-1200) on 7 August 1917, the ship was towed back to her former berth, where she provisioned and made ready to return to the Ushant-Brest patrol line.
; nearby, a French vessel rescued 14 men before the rapidly sinking ship disappeared. Twelve men had died in the explosion.
After delivering the convoy to Quiberon Bay
, Vedette anchored at 0645, but that evening again got underway — with a convoy of eight merchantmen, two French patrol vessels, and Harvard -- and arrived back at Brest with that group at noon on the following day. On the morning of 15 August 1917, Vedette was underway again and conducted convoy escort operations through the next day.
steamship Pontoporos -- bound from Tyne Dock
to Spezia with a cargo of 4,600 tons of coal
and 2,000 tons of coke
— was hit by a torpedo
on the starboard beam. It exploded eight feet (2.4 m) below the waterline
, abreast the engine room
, and tore up the decking topside.
Vedette rang up full speed ahead and stood about, hunting for the submarine
. Unable to make contact with the enemy, the yacht picked up 27 men from a lifeboat
, including the master of Pontoporos, a Captain Panas, at 0715. Two more men were transferred from a French fishing boat five minutes later. Vedette soon cast the lifeboat adrift at 0725 and circled the sinking ship; at 0740, Pontoporos sank from sight. After Vedette reached Port Heliguen later that morning, she turned the 29 survivors over to French authorities.
Vedette continued the same routine of operations — interspersed with periods of upkeep, maintenance, and provisioning — through the remainder of the summer and autumn of 1917 and into 1918. On 20 January 1918, Lieutenant Commander Hand was relieved as commanding officer by Lieutenant
Charles Alan Pownall
(1887-1975), a future rear admiral
who would command aircraft carrier
task force
during World War II
and later serve as governor
of Guam
.
Mk. I "Mines", but also eight French Guirand charges and three British Type "D" ones. By the summer of 1918, that had again changed, and the ship carried, by that point, 21 American Mark 2 depth charge
s.
Underway from Quiberon Bay at 0435 that day, she was steaming at the head of a convoy of 11 ships; other escorts were Harvard, the patrol vessel , and the torpedo boat
Stewart (Coast Torpedo Vessel No. 13)
. At 0802, the convoy passed Point de Chats abeam to port, distance three nautical miles (5.6 kilometers); at 0812, the ships changed course so that by 0835, they were off Pen Men, abeam to port at a distance of two and one-half nautical miles (4.6 kilometers). At 0924, Vedettes watch felt a slight jar; within a minute, they saw that the merchant ship SS Hundvaago had taken a torpedo
and was sinking rapidly.
Vedette went to full speed ahead and sprang to general quarters
. At 0927, Signalman
3rd Class Nye, Chief Quartermaster
Teiper, and the officer of the deck saw a submarine off the starboard quarter of the convoy. Vedette heeled as the helm was put over at hard right rudder and she raced toward the enemy. She sounded five short blasts on her whistle, but a merchant ship obstructed her view of the submarine, and the periscope
disappeared. Vedette immediately commenced a search, circling and trying to locate the enemy submersible.
At 0935, Vedette received orders from Harvard and, in company with Stewart, quickly proceeded to reform the panic-stricken convoy. Within 20 minutes, Hundvaago had sunk, another U-boat victim. An hour before noon, Vedette resumed her position at the head of the convoy and, 45 minutes later, took station on the port flank of the convoy.
Things were not quiet for long, however. At one minute past noon, a French seaplane
, attracted to the scene of the torpedoing, dropped a smoke bomb, indicating the presence of what looked like a submarine. Vedette again went to general quarters and put over hard right rudder as she sped off to the hunt. She soon picked up a small oil wake about 200 yards (183 m) east of the smoke bomb and dropped a barrage of eight depth charges at 1215. Ten minutes later, having seen "no further evidence of a submarine," Vedette rejoined the convoy, taking station on the port bow.
Stewart later dropped four depth charges over a 15-minute period but failed to learn whether or not she had tangled with a submarine. She nevertheless continued the hunt, in company with Vedette, Harvard, and Remlick, while the newly arrived destroyer
Tucker (Destroyer No. 57)
joined the convoy's screen.
, which that took the pilots aboard and took the disabled plane in tow. When Vedette reached her destination, she lowered a whaleboat
which took up the tow and safely delivered the French plane.
Steaming in company with the patrol vessels , , , and Sultana, Vedette arrived at Ponta Delgada
at 1025 on 11 December 1918. She coaled ship there, took on provisions, and brought aboard 133 bags of coal to store on deck for the transatlantic voyage. Underway at 0702 on 15 December 1918, the squadron
anchored in St. George's harbor, Bermuda, on the morning of 24 December 1918. It got underway again on 25 December 1918 on the last leg of its voyage.
Shortly after leaving Bermuda, Emeline, Nokomis, and Corona steamed off "on duty assigned," leaving Vedette alone with Sultana -- one of her companions on her voyage to Europe
in the summer of 1917. The two patrol vessels entered New York Harbor
on the afternoon of 28 December 1918, home at last.
to the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn. By noon, her trio of 3-inch (76.2-mm) guns, her machine gun
s, and small arms
had been removed.
On 4 February 1919, at Tebo's Yacht Basin, Vedette was returned to Frederick W. Vanderbilt. She was stricken from the Navy List
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...
built in 1899. At the outbreak of 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...
, the yacht was leased by 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...
, and was used as a patrol vessel 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...
. She served honorably during the war, rescuing survivors at sea, and attacking a German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
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...
. At war’s end, she was converted to her original configuration and returned to her owner, the railroad executive, financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
, and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Frederick W. Vanderbilt (1856-1938) of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Built in Bath, Maine
Virginia - a steel-hulled, single-screw steam yacht designed by G. L. Watson and built at Bath, MaineBath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, by Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
for New York City merchant Isaac Stern — was delivered on 23 December 1899. In 1916, the yacht was acquired by the Frederick W. Vanderbilt and renamed Vedette.
Acquired by the U.S. Navy
The Navy acquired the ship from Vanderbilt on a free-leaseLease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
basis on 4 May 1917. Earmarked for 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...
escort and patrol duty overseas, Vedette was assigned the section patrol
Section patrol
A Section Patrol craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential service during and shortly after World War I....
number SP-163 and 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...
at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, 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 May 1917 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...
Chester L. Hand in command.
Sailing for France
Vedette and five other patrol vessels - all former yachts - got underway from Tompkinsville on Staten IslandStaten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York, bound for Bermuda
Bermuda
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...
on 9 June 1917 on the first leg of their voyage to 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...
. and were the first to weigh anchor; , , {USS|Noma|SP-131}}, and Vedette followed. The ships formed up into divisions, with Vedette leading the second group.
On the evening of the 12 June 1917, they anchored in St. George's
St. George's, Bermuda
St. George's , located on the island and within the parish of the same names, was the first permanent settlement on the islands of Bermuda, and is often described as the third successful English settlement in the Americas, after St. John's, Newfoundland, and Jamestown, Virginia. However, St...
harbor at Bermuda. They remained in Bermuda for a little over three days, coaling ship and taking on water. The vessels got underway again on the morning of 16 June 1917 and reached 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...
on 25 June 1917.
Witnessing the debris of war
After coaling and taking on water and provisions in the Azores, Vedette and her consorts began their passage to BrestBrest, 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. En route, they soon encountered abundant evidence that they were entering a war zone. Vedette spotted "considerable floating wreckage and a cork life belt" upon which no name was visible on the evening of 2 July 1917. The next morning, she spotted more of the same: boxes, barrels, a broken life-belt, and pieces of planking from an anonymous ship or ships — mute evidence of a sinking.
The squadron sighted the French coast at 0440 on 4 July 1917, but before they could make it into port, Christabel broke down and Vedette stood by until she could get underway again. Later, as the ships made their way toward Brest, 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...
came out and greeted the American force. The six patrol vessels were among the first ships of the United States Navy to reach French waters in World War I.
Over the next 10 days, Vedette prepared for the operations that lay ahead. She finally put to sea, in company with Harvard, on the morning of 16 July 1917.
Assigned to convoy patrol duty
Her first patrol pretty much set the standard theme for the many that followed. The two ships initially headed for the middle of the patrol line 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) off the coast, extending from the northward and westward of UshantUshant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
to the southward of Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
. Vedette patrolled the southern half of the line while Harvard prowled the northern.
Vedette returned to Brest on 19 July 1917, without having met the enemy, but she did encounter more wreckage, including life rings from an unidentified ship. She twice more patrolled the area between Brest and Ushant, near Belle Isle, before the end of July 1917.
Vedette remained in port the first few days of August 1917, and she suffered slight damage on the morning of 3 August 1917 when Christabel - while shifting moorings — raked her stern, carrying away the flagstaff and damaging the after rail. Nevertheless, Vedette stood out to sea at 1700 that afternoon in the screen of an outward-bound convoy of 10 merchant ships which were also protected by Harvard, three French patrol vessels, and two British ships.
Vedette left that convoy at 0050 on 4 August 1917 and patrolled the vicinity until 0650, when she picked up a Brest-bound convoy of 19 merchantmen escorted by three patrol boats. Vedette anchored at Brest at 1025 the same day, but her respite was short. Less than six hours later, she stood out with a convoy of 16 merchantmen, three French patrol boats, and Harvard.
Vedette left that convoy when it passed out of the coastal danger zone and waited to pick up a Brest-bound convoy at 1655 on 5 August 1917. While en route in, Harvard broke down, and Vedette stood by until her longstanding partner was ready to proceed.
Friendly fire
Still en route to Brest during the pre-dawn hours of 6 August 1917, Vedette sighted a "suspicious vessel" at 0320 and opened fire with her number two 3-inch (76.2-mm) gun. The shot fell well forward of the stranger, who soon signaled that she was a French patrol boat. Vedettes first shot of the war had been aimed at a "friendly" ship.Vedette was docked at Brest shortly after noon that day for alterations. After the work was completed during the forenoon watch (0800-1200) on 7 August 1917, the ship was towed back to her former berth, where she provisioned and made ready to return to the Ushant-Brest patrol line.
Convoy ship strikes a mine
Vedette escorted an outward-bound convoy late on 9 August 1917, and an inward-bound one on 10 August 1917, before she and Harvard were assigned to another outward-bound group of 10 merchantmen and two French patrol vessels. At 2010, Vedettes watch heard an explosion astern, accompanied by several blasts of a ship's whistle. A British merchantman, last in line of the convoy, had struck a naval mineNaval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
; nearby, a French vessel rescued 14 men before the rapidly sinking ship disappeared. Twelve men had died in the explosion.
After delivering the convoy to 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...
, Vedette anchored at 0645, but that evening again got underway — with a convoy of eight merchantmen, two French patrol vessels, and Harvard -- and arrived back at Brest with that group at noon on the following day. On the morning of 15 August 1917, Vedette was underway again and conducted convoy escort operations through the next day.
Rescuing crew members of torpedoed ship
At 0650 on 17 August 1917, the GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
steamship Pontoporos -- bound from Tyne Dock
Tyne Dock
Tyne Dock is a neighbourhood within the town of South Shields, North East England, on the south bank of the River Tyne. It takes its name from the large dock on the river which was opened in 1859 by the Tyne Improvement Commission to handle Tyneside's coal exports...
to Spezia with a cargo of 4,600 tons of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and 2,000 tons of coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
— was hit 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...
on the starboard beam. It exploded eight feet (2.4 m) below the waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
, abreast the engine room
Engine room
On a ship, the engine room, or ER, commonly refers to the machinery spaces of a vessel. To increase the safety and damage survivability of a vessel, the machinery necessary for operations may be segregated into various spaces, the engine room is one of these spaces, and is generally the largest...
, and tore up the decking topside.
Vedette rang up full speed ahead and stood about, hunting for the 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...
. Unable to make contact with the enemy, the yacht picked up 27 men from a lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
, including the master of Pontoporos, a Captain Panas, at 0715. Two more men were transferred from a French fishing boat five minutes later. Vedette soon cast the lifeboat adrift at 0725 and circled the sinking ship; at 0740, Pontoporos sank from sight. After Vedette reached Port Heliguen later that morning, she turned the 29 survivors over to French authorities.
Vedette continued the same routine of operations — interspersed with periods of upkeep, maintenance, and provisioning — through the remainder of the summer and autumn of 1917 and into 1918. On 20 January 1918, Lieutenant Commander Hand was relieved as commanding officer by Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Charles Alan Pownall
Charles Alan Pownall
Charles Alan Pownall was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and Governor of Guam . He was the third military Governor and first naval Governor of Guam following the United States recapture of the island from the Japanese...
(1887-1975), a future rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
who would command aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and later serve as governor
Governor (United States)
In the United States, the title governor refers to the chief executive of each state or insular territory, not directly subordinate to the federal authorities, but the political and ceremonial head of the state.-Role and powers:...
of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
Updating anti-submarine weapons
By January 1918, the ship's armament reflected the multi-national character of the escort work performed out of Brest, for not only did she carry her original allotment of 10 American SperrySperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century...
Mk. I "Mines", but also eight French Guirand charges and three British Type "D" ones. By the summer of 1918, that had again changed, and the ship carried, by that point, 21 American Mark 2 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.
Vedette goes to general quarters
Vedettes routine changed little in 1918. Her only encounter with the enemy, however, came on 5 August 1918.Underway from Quiberon Bay at 0435 that day, she was steaming at the head of a convoy of 11 ships; other escorts were Harvard, the patrol vessel , and the 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...
Stewart (Coast Torpedo Vessel No. 13)
USS Stewart (DD-13)
The first USS Stewart was a in the United States Navy. She was named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart.Stewart was laid down on 24 January 1900 at Morris Heights, New York, by the Gas Engine and Power Company; launched on 10 May 1902; sponsored by Mrs. Paul Lee Cocke, granddaughter of Rear Admiral...
. At 0802, the convoy passed Point de Chats abeam to port, distance three nautical miles (5.6 kilometers); at 0812, the ships changed course so that by 0835, they were off Pen Men, abeam to port at a distance of two and one-half nautical miles (4.6 kilometers). At 0924, Vedettes watch felt a slight jar; within a minute, they saw that the merchant ship SS Hundvaago had taken 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...
and was sinking rapidly.
Vedette went to full speed ahead and sprang to general quarters
General quarters
General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....
. At 0927, Signalman
Signalman (rank)
Signalman was a U.S. Navy rating for sailors that specialized in visual communication. See Signaller for more about the roles of Signalmen.-U.S. Navy:A signal lamp is a visual signaling device for optical communication...
3rd Class Nye, Chief Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
Teiper, and the officer of the deck saw a submarine off the starboard quarter of the convoy. Vedette heeled as the helm was put over at hard right rudder and she raced toward the enemy. She sounded five short blasts on her whistle, but a merchant ship obstructed her view of the submarine, and the 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....
disappeared. Vedette immediately commenced a search, circling and trying to locate the enemy submersible.
At 0935, Vedette received orders from Harvard and, in company with Stewart, quickly proceeded to reform the panic-stricken convoy. Within 20 minutes, Hundvaago had sunk, another U-boat victim. An hour before noon, Vedette resumed her position at the head of the convoy and, 45 minutes later, took station on the port flank of the convoy.
Things were not quiet for long, however. At one minute past noon, a French seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
, attracted to the scene of the torpedoing, dropped a smoke bomb, indicating the presence of what looked like a submarine. Vedette again went to general quarters and put over hard right rudder as she sped off to the hunt. She soon picked up a small oil wake about 200 yards (183 m) east of the smoke bomb and dropped a barrage of eight depth charges at 1215. Ten minutes later, having seen "no further evidence of a submarine," Vedette rejoined the convoy, taking station on the port bow.
Stewart later dropped four depth charges over a 15-minute period but failed to learn whether or not she had tangled with a submarine. She nevertheless continued the hunt, in company with Vedette, Harvard, and Remlick, while the newly arrived destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Tucker (Destroyer No. 57)
USS Tucker (DD-57)
USS Tucker was the lead ship of her class of destroyers built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Samuel Tucker....
joined the convoy's screen.
Rescuing a downed French plane
However, Vedette's work for that day was not complete until she had assisted a downed French seaplane from the French Naval Air Service. At 1718, another French plane had dropped a message requesting aid in Bay de Douarnez. A bit under an hour later, Vedette lowered her motorboatMotorboat
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...
, which that took the pilots aboard and took the disabled plane in tow. When Vedette reached her destination, she lowered a whaleboat
Whaleboat
A whaleboat is a type of open boat that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it to move either forwards or backwards equally well. It was originally developed for whaling, and later became popular for work along beaches, since it does not need to be turned around for beaching or...
which took up the tow and safely delivered the French plane.
End-of-war-operations
Vedette would never again have that much excitement in a single day. Thereafter, her duties for the remainder of the war were placid as she continued to escort convoys to and from Brest and patrolled offshore in between convoy runs. Less than a month after the Armistice with Germany stilled the guns of World War I on 11 November 1918, she departed Brest for the last time when she weighed anchor on 6 December 1918 for the long voyage home.Steaming in company with the patrol vessels , , , and Sultana, Vedette arrived at Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
at 1025 on 11 December 1918. She coaled ship there, took on provisions, and brought aboard 133 bags of coal to store on deck for the transatlantic voyage. Underway at 0702 on 15 December 1918, the squadron
Squadron (naval)
A squadron, or naval squadron, is a unit of 3-4 major warships, transport ships, submarines, or sometimes small craft that may be part of a larger task force or a fleet...
anchored in St. George's harbor, Bermuda, on the morning of 24 December 1918. It got underway again on 25 December 1918 on the last leg of its voyage.
Shortly after leaving Bermuda, Emeline, Nokomis, and Corona steamed off "on duty assigned," leaving Vedette alone with Sultana -- one of her companions on her voyage to 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...
in the summer of 1917. The two patrol vessels entered New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
on the afternoon of 28 December 1918, home at last.
Decommissioning and disposal
At 0900 on 30 December 1918, Vedette moved up the East RiverEast River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
to the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn. By noon, her trio of 3-inch (76.2-mm) guns, her machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, and small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
had been removed.
On 4 February 1919, at Tebo's Yacht Basin, Vedette was returned to Frederick W. Vanderbilt. She was stricken from the Navy List
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
the same day.