''Tommy Traddles'' was a

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 ...

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 ...

acquired for use as a patrol vessel in 1917 but never commissioned. ''Tommy Traddles'', designed by

Ralph Munroe Ralph Middleton Munroe (April 3, 1851 – August 20, 1933) was an American yacht designer and early resident of Coconut Grove in south Florida. His home, now The Barnacle Historic State Park, is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still stand ...

(1851-1933), was built as a private wooden-

hulled Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective ...

cabin motor launch (or

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

) of the same name in 1906 by the Charles L. Seabury Company and Gas Engine and Power Company at Morris Heights in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, for Vincent B. Hubbell.Wikipedia

article, which corrects errors in the other sources listed. D. R. Hoornbeeck later purchased her from Hubbell. In 1915, Dr. J. B. Leffingwell of

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries A settlement established by Maroons or escaped sl ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, purchased her. On 25 June 1917, the U.S. Navy bought ''Tommy Traddles'' from Leffingwell 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 ...

. Leffingwell delivered her to the Navy on 4 August 1917. Quickly deemed unsuitable for naval use, ''Tommy Traddles'' never received a section patrol (SP) number and was never commissioned. The Navy returned her to Leffingwell on 4 September 1917..

Notes

References

*
NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Tommy Traddles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tommy Traddles (1906) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Morris Heights, Bronx 1906 ships Individual yachts