USS ''Zillah'' (SP-2804) 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 ...

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

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 ...

during 1918. ''Zillah'' was a wooden-hulled motorboat built in 1903 by Charles Clarke and Company at

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, and rebuilt in 1913 by the same firm. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy from that same company in June 1918 for service 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 ...

. Though there is no record of the date on which USS ''Zillah'' was commissioned, she was designated SP-2804 and assigned to the

8th 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 ...

. ''Zillah'' served with the naval port guard at Galveston for the remainder of World War I. She was decommissioned on 13 December 1918. Her name was struck from the

Navy Directory A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

on that same day, and she was simultaneously returned to her owner.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Zillah (SP-2804) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Galveston, Texas 1903 ships