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USS War Bug (SP-1795)
Encyclopedia
USS War Bug (SP-1795) was a three-armed motorboat
in commission in the United States Navy
as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1918.
War Bug was built as the wood
en-hulled
motorboat Herreshoff 320 at Bristol
, Rhode Island
, in 1917 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company for a private owner, and probably was designed with possible naval service in mind. The U.S. Navy purchased Herreshoff 320 from Felix Warburg of New York City
on 6 November 1917 for use as a patrol vessel in World War I
. Armed and designated SP-1795, she was commissioned
as USS War Bug on 17 November 1917.
War Bug was assigned to the 1st Naval District and served in waters near Boston, Massachusetts
, through the end of World War I.
Due to an urgent need for craft such as War Bug at Brest
, France
, an order dated 14 October 1918 went out from Washington, D.C.
, to Boston directing the Commandant
of the 1st Naval District to ready six section patrol
boats -- USS Commodore (SP-1425)
, USS Cossack (SP-695)
, War Bug, USS Sea Hawk (SP-2365)
, USS Kangaroo (SP-1284)
, and USS SP-729
-- to be shipped to France as deck
cargo
along with spare parts to keep them operational. However, this proposed movement appears to have been cancelled, probably because of the armistice
with Germany
of 11 November 1918 that ended World War I and eliminated the need for more U.S. Navy patrol craft in Europe
.
Decommissioned
on 28 December 1918, War Bug was sold on 30 June 1919 to E. Atkins and Co., of Boston.
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...
in commission 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.
War Bug was built as the wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en-hulled
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
motorboat Herreshoff 320 at Bristol
Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,954 at the 2010 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England....
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, in 1917 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company for a private owner, and probably was designed with possible naval service in mind. The U.S. Navy purchased Herreshoff 320 from Felix Warburg 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...
on 6 November 1917 for use 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...
. Armed and designated SP-1795, she 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...
as USS War Bug on 17 November 1917.
War Bug was assigned to the 1st Naval District and served in waters near Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, through the end of World War I.
Due to an urgent need for craft such as War Bug at Brest
Brest, 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
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...
, an order dated 14 October 1918 went out from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to Boston directing the Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
of the 1st Naval District to ready six 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....
boats -- USS Commodore (SP-1425)
USS Commodore (SP-1425)
The second USS Commodore was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.Commodore was built in 1917 by Herreshoff Manufacturing Company at Bristol, Rhode Island, as the civilian motorboat Herreshoff No. 318. The U.S. Navy acquired her in October...
, USS Cossack (SP-695)
USS Cossack (SP-695)
The second USS Cossack was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.-Construction, acquisition, and commissioning:...
, War Bug, USS Sea Hawk (SP-2365)
USS Sea Hawk (SP-2365)
USS Sea Hawk , was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.Sea Hawk was built in 1917 by Herreshoff Manufacturing Company at Bristol, Rhode Island, as the civilian motorboat Herreshoff No. 319. The U.S...
, USS Kangaroo (SP-1284)
USS Kangaroo (SP-1284)
The first USS Kangaroo was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.-Construction and commissioning:...
, and USS SP-729
USS Apache (SP-729)
The third USS Apache , later USS SP-729, was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.-Construction, acquisition, and commissioning:...
-- to be shipped to France as deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
along with spare parts to keep them operational. However, this proposed movement appears to have been cancelled, probably because of 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...
with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
of 11 November 1918 that ended World War I and eliminated the need for more U.S. Navy patrol craft in 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...
.
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 28 December 1918, War Bug was sold on 30 June 1919 to E. Atkins and Co., of Boston.