USS ''Toad'' 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 they ...

in commission from 1918 to 1919. ''Toad'' was built in 1914 as a private

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 by D. R. Shackford. On 4 August 1918, the U.S. Navy acquired her from Shackford for use as a

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 ...

boat 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 never received a section patrol (SP) number, but was commissioned as USS ''Toad'' on 4 September 1918. Assigned to the

5th 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 Command ...

, ''Toad'' served on section patrol duties for the rest of World War I. The Navy returned her to Shackford on 27 January 1919.

References

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NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Toad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toad (1914) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States 1914 ships