USS Needle (SP-649) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1919.
_USS_Inca_(SP-1212).jpg) Needle is in the left foreground in this photograph of boats undergoing conversion for World War I use as United States Navy patrol vessels, ca. July 1917. In the center foreground is USS Inca (SP-1212). The boat on the right and the four boats in the background are unidentified.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Needle |
| Namesake | Previous name retained |
| Builder | George Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Acquired | 9 June 1917 |
| Commissioned | 20 June 1917 |
| Stricken | 18 August 1919 |
| Fate | Sold 16 September 1919 |
| Notes | Operated as private motorboat Needle 1906-1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Patrol vessel |
| Tonnage | 22 gross register tons |
| Length | 71 ft (22 m) |
| Beam | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Draft | 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) |
| Speed | 12 knots |
| Armament | 2 × machine guns |
Needle was built as a private motorboat of the same name by George Lawley & Son at Neponset, Massachusetts, in 1906. On 9 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her from her owner, George L. Batchelder of Medford, Massachusetts, for use as a section patrol boat during World War I. She was commissioned as USS Needle (SP-649) on 20 June 1917.
Needle carried out patrol duties for the rest of World War I and into 1919.
Needle was stricken from the Navy List on 18 August 1919 and sold to Morgan Barney of New York City on 16 September 1919.
References
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This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.- Department of the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS Needle (SP-649), 1917-1919
- NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Needle (SP 649)
