Patrol vessel of the United States Navy
For other ships with the same name, see
USS Helena .
History United States Name USS Helena I Namesake Previous name retained Builder Van Sant Brothers , Port Republic , New Jersey Completed 1906 Acquired May 1917 Commissioned 7 September 1917 Decommissioned 27 August 1919 Stricken 4 October 1919 Fate Sold, 27 August 1919 Wrecked prior to delivery to new owner, 11 September 1919 Notes Operated as private motor yacht Helena I 1906-1917 General characteristics Type Patrol vessel Displacement 9 long tons (9 t) Length 43 ft (13 m) Beam 10 ft (3.0 m) Draft 3 ft (0.91 m) (mean) Speed 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h) Armament 1 × machine gun
USS Helena I (SP-24) was an armed yacht that served the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.
Helena I was built in 1906 by the Van Sant Brothers , Port Republic , New Jersey , as a private motor yacht. The U.S. Navy acquired her from Dr. W. G. Hall of Trenton , New Jersey, in May 1917 for World War I service. Assigned to the 7th Naval District , she was taken to Key West , Florida , and commissioned as the USS Helena I (SP-24) on 7 September 1917.
Helena I operated as a harbor and coastal patrol boat in the vicinity of Key West, until decommissioned and sold on 27 August 1919. Before she could be delivered to her new owner, however, Helena I was among eight former SP boats wrecked on 11 September by the 1919 Florida Keys Hurricane , while anchored in the North Beach Basin , Key West. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 4 October 1919
References [ edit ]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1919
Shipwrecks 1 Jan: HMY Iolaire 21 Jan: UC-40 30 Jan: Nimrod 7 Feb: HMS Erin's Isle 8 Feb: U-16 10 Feb: UC-91 18 Feb: Mirabeau 20 Feb: UC-71 22 Feb: U-21 7 Mar: HNoMS Thor 6 Apr: SMS Vulkan 15 Apr: U-118 17 Apr: USS Freehold 26 April: Narval , Kit , Kashalot 27 Apr: USS Courtney , USS Otis W. Douglas 28 Apr: USS Gypsum Queen , USS James April (unknown date): Borets za Svobodu 4 May: HMS Cupar 5 May: SMS Leipzig 2 Jun: Rucumilla 9 Jun: HMS L55 16 Jun: HMS Kinross 18 Jun: Oleg 21 Jun: Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow – SMS Bayern , SMS Bremse , SMS Brummer , SMS Cöln , SMS Dresden , SMS Derfflinger , SMS Emden , SMS Friedrich der Grosse , SMS G38 , SMS G39 , SMS G40 , SMS Hindenburg , SMS Grosser Kurfürst , SMS Kaiser , SMS Kaiserin , SMS Karlsruhe , SMS König , SMS König Albert , SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm , SMS Markgraf , SMS Moltke , SMS Prinzregent Luitpold , SMS S32 , SMS S36 , SMS S50 , SMS Seydlitz , SMS V45 , SMS V46 , SMS Von der Tann , SMS G102 28 Jun: Duchess of Richmond Jun (unknown date): Erinpura 27 Jul: USS May 30 Jul: USS G-2 13 Aug: Basilicata 18 Aug: Dvina 1 Sep: HMS Vittoria 4 Sep: HMS Verulam 8 Sep: Valbanera 9 Sep: USS St. Sebastian , USS SP-471 10 Sep: USS Coco , USS Katherine K. , USS Patrol No. 1 , USS Sea Hawk 11 Sep: USS Helena I 16 Sep: HMS M25 , HMS M27 , West Arvada 29 Sep: ML-18 , ML-62 , ML-191 , Ossifrage 30 Sep: August Helmerich 3 Oct: Frank O'Connor 7 Oct: Sizergh Castle 9 Oct: Daram 17 Oct: SMS Kaiser Franz Joseph I 18 Oct: HMS H41 21 Oct Gavriil 31 Oct: Fazilka 13 Nov: Council Bluffs 22 Nov: Myron 24 Nov: Poltava 12 Dec: USS Kerwood 18 Dec: Cufic Unknown date: UB-14 Other incidents