USS ''Henlopen'' (SP-385) was a minesweeper and

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

that served in the

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 ...

from January to March 1918. ''Henlopen'' was built as a commercial fishing boat of the same name in 1912 by W. G. Abbott at

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. On 12 December 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from her owner, James W. Elwell & Co., of New York City, for use on the section patrol as a minesweeper and tug during

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 ...

. She was commissioned as USS ''Henlopen'' (SP-385) on 26 January 1918. After two months of service, ''Henlopen'' was transferred to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

at New York City on 27 March 1918 for

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

use as a minesweeper and tug.

References

*
NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Henlopen (SP 385)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henlopen (SP-385) Minesweepers of the United States Navy World War I minesweepers of the United States Auxiliary ships of the United States Navy World War I auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built in Milford, Delaware 1912 ships Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the French Navy