USS ''Liberty III'' (SP-1229), sometimes written ''Liberty # 3'', and also referred to during her naval career as ''Liberty'' and as ''Pilot Boat Liberty, No. 3'', was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1919. The ''Liberty'' was a pilot boat from 1896-1917. She was a replacement for the pilot boat ''D. J. Lawlor''. After World War I, the ''Liberty'' returned to pilot service until 1934 when she was purchased as a yacht.

Construction and service

Pilot boat

The ''Liberty, No. 3'' was built as a civilian

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

-rigged pilot boat in 1896 by John Bishop at his

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The registered Master was John Henry Low and owner was Susie Low. On March 30, 1896, 1896, the ''Liberty'' was launched from the John Bishop shipyard, to take the place of the ill-fated pilot-boat '' D. J. Lawlor'', No. 3. The boat was built for pilots James Murdock, John H. Low, C. K. Nelson and John Ward. She was 104 feet long, 118-tons and cost $17,000. She was built to beat the popular ''Hesper''. On January 31, 1897, boatkeeper Charles Benthram was left in charge of the ''Liberty, No. 3'' after the last pilot was placed on board the steamship ''Sachem''. He tried to enter the port of Boston in foggy weather, but decided to stay at the

Boston Light Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. The c ...

. The boat drifted 50 miles. After two days at sea the weather finally became calm and he was able to return to Boston. Benthram received his training by his uncle, Captain Thomas Cooper, on the pilot boat ''Columbia'' No. 2. On April 29, 1900, Captain J. H. Low, James M. Murdock, C. K. Nelson, J. C. Fawcett, and E. G. Martin were pilots on the ''Liberty, No. 3''. On April 10, 1902, Bruce B. McLean, James M. Murdock, John H. Low, C. K. Nelson, F. J. Gevalt, and William McMillian were pallbearers at the funeral for Captain E. G. Martin. They were also and pilots of the Captain Martin's pilot boat ''Liberty''. On October 8, 1916, Watson Shields Dolliver was on the pilot boat ''Liberty'' when he helped '' The Boston Globe'' transfer a reporter from the pilot boat to board the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company steamer SS ''Kansan'' that was headed for Boston with news about the German U-53 U-boat. The ''Globe'' had the story out in the morning papers before anyone else. On 4 May 1917, a pilot boat model of the ''Liberty, No. 3'' was presented by the pilots of Boston Harbor, some of which were Captains John H. Low, James H. Reid Jr., Joseph Fawcett, Nathaniel W. Abbott.

Acquired by US Navy

On 10 September 1917 the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free lease from her owner, the Boston Pilots Relief Society, for use as a section patrol boat during World War I. She was enrolled in the Naval Coast Defense Reserve on 15 September 1917 and commissioned on 20 September 1917 as USS ''Liberty III'' (SP-1229). Assigned to the

1st Naval District The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Comman ...

in northern New England and based at Boston, Massachusetts, ''Liberty III'' served for the rest of World War I as a harbor entrance patrol boat, guiding the movements of ships that navigated the defensive sea area of the port of Boston. The Navy decommissioned ''Liberty III'' on 8 January 1919 and returned her to the Boston Pilots Relief Society the same day.

End of service

On 8 September 1934, the ''Liberty'' was purchased by Roscoe H. Prior, president of the American Stevedoring Corporation of Boston. The new owner raced her in international cup races.

Notes

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