USS ''Cleo'' (SP-232) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

in service from 1917 to 1918. ''Cleo'' was built as a

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

motorboat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...

of the same name in 1908 by Johnson at

Marine City, Michigan Marine City is a city in St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the west bank of the St. Clair River, it is one of the cities in the River District north of Detroit and south of Lake Huron. In the late 19th century, it was a m ...

. She was in the service of the Michigan State Game, Fish and Forestry Department when the U.S. Navy acquired her from the

State of Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and placed her in service as USS ''Cleo'' (SP-232) in April 1917 for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

service as a patrol vessel. Sources differ on whether she was commissioned or served in a non-commissioned status.As claimed by the ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' (at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c10/cleo.htm); NavSource Online (at http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/170232.htm) says merely that she was "placed in service," although this implies non-commissioned service. ''Cleo'' served on the

section patrol A Section Patrol Craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential wartime service before, during, and shortly after World War I. Historical overview The SP/ID registration system In 1916, with World War I raging a ...

on the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively referred to as Detro ...

and

St. Clair River The St. Clair River (french: Rivière Sainte-Claire) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed November 7, 2011 river in central North America which flows from Lake Huron int ...

in the vicinity of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. Michigan, for the remainder of World War I. The Navy returned ''Cleo'' to the Michigan State Game, Fish and Forestry Department in late November 1918.

Notes

References

*
Department of the Navy: Navy History and Heritage Command: Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: ''Cleo'' (American Motor Boat, 1908) Served as USS ''Cleo'' (SP-232) in 1917–1918
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleo (SP-232) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Great Lakes ships Ships built in Marine City, Michigan 1908 ships