USS Venture (SP-616) was an Venture-class patrol boat

Patrol boat

A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...

 acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of patrolling the coastal waters of the New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 coast 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...

. Her primary task was to guard the coastal area against German submarines.

The first ship to be named Venture by the Navy, SP-616 -- a wooden-hulled, screw steam 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 by F. D. Lawley and completed as Shadow in 1916 at South Boston, Massachusetts

South Boston, Massachusetts

South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. One of America's oldest and most historic neighborhoods, South Boston was formerly known as Dorchester Neck, and today is called "Southie" by...

, by George Lawley & Son

George Lawley & Son

George Lawley & Son was a shipbuilding firm operating in Massachusetts from 1866 to 1945. It began in Scituate, then moved to Boston. After founder George Lawley retired in 1890, his son, grandson and great-grandson upheld the business, which continued until 1945...

 -- was acquired by the Navy under free lease from Mrs. Sarah L. Silsbee of Isleboro Island, Maine, on 28 April 1917 and commissioned the same day, Chief Boatswain's Mate Zidon C. Long, USNRF, in command.

World War I service

Attached to the 5th Section, 1st Naval District, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

, Venture operated out of the Portsmouth Navy Yard at Kittery

Kittery, Maine

Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

, through the end of World War I, conducting security patrols and performing dispatch duties.

End-of-war decommissioning

Following the armistice, she was decommissioned on 5 February 1919 and returned to her owner.

External links

• USS Venture
• Photo gallery at navsource.org