USS Almax II (SP-268) was a motorboat acquired by the United States Navy for use as a patrol boat during World War I. She was outfitted with light guns and assigned patrol duty in the Chesapeake Bay area. Post-war she served with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey before she was sold in 1920.
 Almax II as a private motorboat sometime between 1912 and 1917.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Almax II |
| Owner | Mr. F. Mayer, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Builder | Salisbury Marine Construction Company, Salisbury, Maryland |
| Launched | 1912 |
| Fate | Acquired by United States Navy 18 May 1917 |
| United States | |
| Name | USS Almax II |
| Namesake | Previous name retained |
| Operator | United States Navy |
| Acquired | 18 May 1917 |
| Commissioned | 18 May 1917 |
| Decommissioned | 28 March 1919 |
| Homeport | Newport News and Norfolk, Virginia |
| Fate |
|
 United States | |
| Name | USC&GS Almax II |
| Namesake | Previous name retained |
| Operator | U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey |
| Acquired | 28 March 1919 |
| Fate | Transferred to U.S. Navy 21 February 1920 |
| General characteristics (as U.S. Navy patrol boat) | |
| Type | Patrol boat |
| Tonnage | 22 gross tons |
| Length | 56 feet 9 inches (17.3 m) |
| Beam | 11 feet 11 inches (3.6 m) |
| Draft | 3 feet 6 inches (1.1 m) (aft) |
| Speed | 11.4 miles per hour (9.9 kn; 18.3 km/h) |
| Crew | 8 enlisted personnel |
| Armament |
|
Construction
editAlmax II was a private motorboat constructed in 1912 at Salisbury, Maryland, by the Salisbury Marine Construction Company. On 18 May 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her from Mr. Jacob Mayer of Baltimore, Maryland, for World War I service as a patrol boat. She was commissioned USS Almax II (SP-268) on 18 May 1917.[1]
Service history
editAssigned to the section patrol, Almax II cruised the waters of the 5th Naval District through the end of World War I. She served with Squadron 2 and operated in the Chesapeake Bay area primarily between Newport News and Norfolk, Virginia.
After the war ended in November 1918, the boat continued to serve until 28 March 1919 when she was transferred to the United States Department of Commerce for use by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Coast and Geodetic Survey returned Almax II to Navy custody on 21 February 1920.
Disposal
editAlmax II was sold on 14 July 1920 and, presumably, her name was struck from the Navy list at that time.
References
edit
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- ^ The Baltimore Sun, 17 December 1915, p. 11.