USS ''Needle'' (SP-649) 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 1919.
''Needle'' was built 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
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,
, in 1906. On 9 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her from her owner, George L. Batchelder of
Medford, Massachusetts, 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 as USS ''Needle'' (SP-649) on 20 June 1917.
''Needle'' carried out patrol duties for the rest of World War I and into 1919.
''Needle'' was stricken from the
Navy List
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 autho ...
on 18 August 1919 and sold to Morgan Barney of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on 16 September 1919.
References
*
Department of the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS ''Needle'' (SP-649), 1917-1919
{{DEFAULTSORT:Needle (SP-649)
Patrol vessels of the United States Navy
World War I patrol vessels of the United States
Ships built in Boston
1906 ships