USS Lady Thorne (SP-962) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1918.

History
United States
NameUSS Lady Thorne
NamesakePrevious name retained
Completed1908
Acquired22 June 1917
Commissioned1917
Decommissioned1 March 1918
FateReturned to owner 1 March 1918
NotesOperated as private motorboat Lady Thorne until 1917 and from 1918
General characteristics
TypePatrol vessel
Length44 ft (13 m)
Beam10 ft (3.0 m)
Draft6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
PropulsionGasoline engine
Speed9.5 miles per hour[1] or 9.5 knots[2]
Complement4
Armament1 × 1-pounder gun

Lady Thorne was built as a private motorboat of the same name in 1908. On 22 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her from her owner, R. C. Lamb of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, for use as a section patrol boat during World War I. She was enrolled in the Naval Coast Defense Reserve and commissioned as USS Lady Thorne (SP-962).

Assigned to the 5th Naval District, Lady Thorne served on patrol duties for the next several months.

Lady Thorne was decommissioned on 1 March 1918 and returned to Lamb the same day.

Notes

edit
  1. ^ The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships at give history.navy.mil Seatag's speed as "9.5 mi," implying statute miles per hour, an unusual unit of measure for the speed of a watercraft. It is possible that her speed actually was 9.5 knots. If 9.5 statute miles per hour is accurate, the equivalent in knots is 8.25.
  2. ^ NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Lady Thorne (SP 962); this probably represents NavSource Online's attempt to interpret the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships' reference to "9.5 mi."

References

edit