USS ''Vencedor'' (SP-669) 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 1917 to 1918. ''Vencedor'' was built as the 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 ...

''Tekla'' by

George Lawley & Son George Lawley & Son was a shipbuilding firm operating in Massachusetts from 1866 to 1945. It began in Scituate, then moved to Boston. After founder George Lawley (1823–1915) retired in 1890, his son, grandson and great-grandson upheld the busin ...

at Neponset,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, in 1909. She later was renamed ''Vencedor''. On 19 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired ''Vencedor'' under a free

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

from her owner, Herbert H. Luedinghaus, 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 was commissioned at the

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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 * '' ...

, as USS ''Vencedor'' (SP-669) on 30 August 1917. Assigned to the

3rd 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 ...

and operating from Section Base No. 6, ''Vencedor'' carried out harbor patrol duties into the summer of 1918. She then changed roles and began towing targets and operating as a

dispatch boat Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message w ...

for the rest of World War I. ''Vencedor'' was decommissioned at City Island 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, on 26 February 1919 and returned to Luedinghaus. Sources differ on the date of her return to Luedinghams, stating both 25 and 26The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' an
NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Vencedor (SP 669)
February 1919 as the date of her return; the 25 February 1919 return date calls into question the accuracy of the 26 February decommissioning date claimed for her, as decommissioning presumably would occur before or simultaneously with her return to her owner.

Notes

References

*

* ttp://www.navsource.org/archives/12/170669.htm NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Vencedor (SP 669) * ttp://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/details.asp?id=N10826&conflict=World%20War%20I&txtName=Luedinghaus&selConflict=All&txtUnit=&rbBranch= Service Record of Herbert H. Luedinghaus br>Service Record of Herbert H. Luedinghaus, Ensign
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vencedor (SP-669) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Boston 1909 ships