USS ''Zenith'' (SP-61) was an armed

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 ...

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 ...

as a Section patrol vessel from 1917 to 1918. ''Zenith'' was a

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 ...

Mathis Yacht Building Company John H. Mathis & Company was a shipbuilding company founded around 1900, based at Cooper Point, Camden, Cooper Point in Camden, New Jersey, United States, U.S, on the Delaware River. At their shipyard at Point and Erie Streets, the company built lux ...

in 1917 at

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

for Charles Longstreth of Philadelphia, Commodore of the

Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia The Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia is a yacht club near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its clubhouse and dock are located at 300 W. 2nd Street in Essington, Pennsylvania. History The club was established on January 12, 1892, by 13 members of ...

. The design was approved by naval authorities with the possibility of naval reserve service in mind. ''Zenith'' was turned over to naval authorities just before completion. ''Zenith'' was the second Longstreth vessel in naval service. The first of the designated S.P. type, , entered naval service 27 March 1917. Longstreth had been commissioned a Lieutenant Commander by the Navy and expected to command ''Zenith'' as he had ''Arawan II''. The boat was powered by two 400 horsepower, eight cylinder Duesenberg diesel engines with estimated speed of 30 miles per hour at maximum 1,200 revolutions per minute. Armament was expected to be one 3-pounder gun forward and two machine guns aft with a complement of nine men. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 21 April 1917 at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania for service as a patrol vessel in

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 designated SP-61 and commissioned as USS ''Zenith'' at Philadelphia on 23 April 1917. Assigned to section-patrol duty, ''Zenith'' conducted surveillance patrols to protect the harbors and estuaries of the

4th 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 ...

coastline—Pennsylvania,

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 ...

, and southern New Jersey—from enemy incursion, primarily against

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

and

minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...

operations. She served until hostilities ended on 11 November 1918. ''Zenith'' was decommissioned on 21 November 1918, just 10 days after the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

. That same day, her name was struck from the Navy list and ''Zenith'' was returned to her owner.

References

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NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Zenith (SP 61)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zenith (SP-61) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Ships built by the Mathis Yacht Building Company 1917 ships