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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
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