The second USS ''Itasca'' (SP-810), later USS ''SP-810'', 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 which was employed as a hospital boat. ''Itasca'' was built as a private wooden

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 in 1908 by the Stamford Motor Construction Company at Stamford,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. In 1917, the U.S. Navy

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 ...

d her from her owner, Henry Henke, 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 ...

. Sources differ on her commissioning date, claiming both that the Navy took control of her from Henke at

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, on 10 August 1917 and commissioned her as USS ''Itasca'' (SP-810) on 18 August 1918, and that she was commissioned in July 1917.Department of the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: ''Itasca'' (Motor Boat, 1908); Served as USS ''Itasca'' (SP-810) and USS ''SP-810'', 1917-19
Although armed for use as a patrol boat, ''Itasca'' served as a hospital boat in the Norfolk area for the rest of World War I and into early 1919. She was renamed USS ''SP-810'' in April 1918. ''SP-810'' was returned to Henke on 26 February 1919.

Notes

References

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* ttp://www.navsource.org/archives/12/170810.htm NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive Itasca (SP 810) {{DEFAULTSORT:Itasca (SP-810) Patrol vessels of the United States Navy World War I patrol vessels of the United States Hospital ships of the United States Navy World War I auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built in Stamford, Connecticut 1908 ships