USS California (SP-249)

USS ''California'' (SP-249) was a yacht acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I and outfitted as an armed section patrol vessel patroling New York waterways. Later, renamed the original name of ''Hauoli'', it was assigned to Thomas A. Edison conducting underwater listening experiments related to antisubmarine warfare.

The yacht was a second ''Hauoli'' built in 1903, replacing one of the same name built in 1902, for mining magnate Francis Marion "Borax" Smith. This second ''Hauoli'' was notable for speed, described as perhaps the fastest single screw yacht of its class in the world. In 1912 the yacht was sold to Clara Baldwin Stocker, an heiress residing in Los Angeles, who renamed the yacht ''California''. She had to await the opening of the Panama Canal to bring the yacht to her residence. It was noted as the first pleasure vessel to transit the canal. The yacht was home ported in Los Angeles. At some point, either prior to or upon the Navy's acquisition, the yacht was brought back to New York. After naval service, the yacht was sold to a company in Tampa, Florida.

Francis Marion Smith's two ''Hauoli'' yachts

There were two yachts named ''Hauoli'' designed by Henry J. Gielow and built a year apart by Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company, Brooklyn, New York, for F. M. Smith. This leads to apparent discrepancies in specifications in contemporary reports regarding ''Hauoli''. The registration's official number and call signal remains with the vessel through name and ownership changes. In this case even the official numbers are very close, differing in only a single digit: 96634 for the first and 96694 for the second.

''Hauoli'' 1902 (ON 96634)

The first ''Hauoli'' was assigned the, official number 96634 with call letters KRTJ. That first yacht was launched 30 May 1902 at John N. Robbins' shipyard, Erie Basin, Brooklyn, New York with Miss Lulu Pfizer christening the vessel. That yacht is described as being with a length overall, beam and draft. It had two twenty-two foot deck houses placed fore and aft of the machinery space that had funnel and ventilators visible between the houses and an open bridge above the forward deck house. It is described as having two boilers. This vessel is shown in '' Lloyd's Register of American Yachts for 1905 — 6'' as being owned by John N. Robins, the builder, and renamed ''Seminole''. This yacht became .

''Hauoli'' 1903 (ON 96694)

The second ''Hauoli'', registered with official number 96694 and signal letters KSNM, was also designed by Henry J. Gielow and built for Smith by the Robins Dry Dock & Repair Company in 1903. It is this yacht that became ''California'' and then the naval vessel.

Yacht ''Hauoli'' (1903)

Smith found the first ''Hauoli'' too small so had a larger one built with many of the same features. The second ''Hauoli'' was launched in the summer of 1903 and in use during that year's sailing season and was being prepared for the 1904 steam yacht racing season. Features of some big yachts at the time were changing from the oceanic cruising with more comfort and speed than even the British cruising yachts of the time. They were being built for business men wanting home like comfort along with high speed both to travel from homes as far away as Newport, Rhode Island to the city and to participate in the popular racing events. Designers of this new type concentrated on hull and engine features promoting speed and comfort, with use generally expected to be Long Island Sound or coastal cruising, at the sacrifice of cruising range and oceanic seaworthiness.

Description

''Haouli'' was a single funnel, two masted, schooner rigged yacht with registered specifications of , 203 net tons, with a length overall, waterline length, beam and draft. The registered length of is comparable with the Navy's in contemporary data as precise measuring methods differ. The Navy gave a displacement tonnage of 285 tons in 1918 data. The least freeboard was with a flush deck. The hull had four watertight bulkheads and double bottom suitable for ballast or fresh water storage.

The main deck had two deck houses. The forward deck house was in length lying between the foremast and machinery space indicated by the stack and ventilators. The after deck house was with the mast running through the space. The space between them, over the machinery space, was bridged by a promenade deck running from the steering station at the forward extreme to the rear of the aft deck house. A stairway inside the aft end of the forward house led to the deck above and the bridge.

The first of the forward house contained a dining saloon with a by dining table. At the rear was the pantry that connected the dining area from the galley that was fully equipped. The galley took up the starboard side with a room for the captain and stair to the officer's quarters below occupying the port side. The dining room, pantry and captain's room were finished in mahogany paneling with a mahogany ceiling in the dining room. The remaining space, with the stack passing through, was a "drying room."

The forward part of the aft house contained a by dressing room with lavatory and toilet with access either from the deck or from the by deck stateroom lying between the dressing room and social room. The social room was with a piano, desk, seating and a stairway to the passageway on the deck below. That lower deck contained seven large staterooms, three toilets, two with bath. The forward two staterooms were each by with a connecting bathroom and lay against the aft machinery space bulkhead which was steel with asbestos bulkheads and air spaces between that ant the wooden bulkhead for the living spaces.

Forward of the machinery space and bulkhead was the full galley with a dumbwaiter connecting it to the smaller galley above. Forward of the galley, on the starboard side, was a room for five Japanese servants. On the port side was the stairway to the deck above, storeroom and engineers stateroom. Next forward was the officers mess room with a stateroom for the assistant engineer and mate and officer's bathroom to starboard. Two staterooms, one for cook, steward and waiter and the other for petty officers lay between the officer's mess and the forecastle where there were hammock berths for twelve men in a space long. Hot and cold running water was provided in all living areas and baths had both fresh and salt water taps.

Four Almy water tube boilers provided steam for a four cylinder, triple expansion engine built by J. W. Sullivan of New York with a high pressure cylinder of , a medium of and two low pressure cylinders of with a stroke. During a four hour trial ''Hauoli'' averaged and under forced draft made better than . The Navy rated the vessel's top speed at , cruising speed at with a cruising endurance. Though losing narrowly in the Lysistrata Cup race on 18 June 1904 to a twin screw yacht, ''Hauoli'' was considered fast and was perhaps the fastest single screw yacht of her class in the world. Electric lighting and ventilation was installed and among the vessels small boats was a electric launch. The other boats were a gig, a cutter and dinghy.

Use

The yacht was used by Smith, a member of the New York Yacht Club, largely for cruising Long Island Sound and local waters from his summer home at Shelter Island, New York. The estate was originally on Clark Cove but after Smith acquired more land, built a seawall and put in a landing dock and a loading dock for coaling for his yachts, ''Hauoli'' and ''Effort II'', it became known as Smith Cove.

During the Spring of 1904 ''Hauoli'' was preparing to challenge the steam yacht ''Kanawah'' for the Lysistrata Cup, already won the previous year by that yacht and, if won in the forthcoming race, would become a permanent award. ''Kanawah'' was being prepared by modifications to boilers and engine room with ''Hauoli'', under the supervision of her designer, undergoing alterations. On 18 June the race took place off Sandy Hook under the auspices of the New York Yacht Club with serving as the judges' vessel and the tug ''Walter Lukenbach'' serving as the turning point. On board ''Hauoli'' was her designer, Henry Gielow, personally supervising the engine room. ''Kanawah'' won with a slightly better speed and time and retained the cup permanently. The results were an average speed of for the twin screw ''Kanawah'', burning twenty tons of picked coal, and for the single screw ''Hauoli'', burning fifteen tons of coal.

Yacht ''California''

In 1912 the yacht was sold to Mrs. Clara Baldwin Stocker, daughter of Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin, and went into the yard for a refit that included fitting of a turtle deck forward. The yacht was renamed ''California'' with a new home port at Mrs. Stocker's home in Los Angeles. Mrs. Stocker was a colorful heiress determined to "spend a million or two to have a really good time" with an estimated $24,000,000 to spend. Among other acquisitions was a private railway car, named "California," and "I believe I just about bought Tiffiany out" in diamonds. She stated she could not quite remember from whom she bought ''Hauoli'' but she was going to rename the yacht ''California'' because the state was "delight enough for me" though she was going to have to wait until the Panama Canal was opened to bring the yacht from the Atlantic. The yacht left the fitting out yard on 28 July 1914 for New York, then from there on 1 August for California by the Panama Canal. On 1 October 1914 ''California'' arrived at Los Angeles after being the first pleasure vessel to transit the canal.

World War I service

''California'' was purchased by the Navy for $65,000 in August 1917 from her owner, Clara Baldwin Stocker, of Los Angeles.DANFS for California III (S. P. 249) simply notes it third vessel with the name and refers to entry for ''Hauoli''. The ''Hauoli'' entry states Mrs. Stocker was "of New York" but she was definitely a resident of Los Angeles, though she may have had property in New York City. After fitting out the vessel commissioned as USS ''California'' at New York Navy Yard 24 December 1917, Lt. (j.g.) W. Applebye-Robinson, USNRF, commanding. The name was changed back to the original ''Hauoli'' 18 February 1918.

''California'' was fitted with two six pounder guns and two machine guns and had a crew of sixty total, including five officers. Navy inspection found a maximum speed of , cruising speed of with a cruising endurance of .

''Hauoli'' spent the first year of its service as a patrol vessel in New York harbor. It patrolled outside the harbor also, and occasionally carried passengers to and from convoys.

Assigned to Thomas A. Edison

The yacht was transferred to special duty 28 January 1919, and assigned to the experimental use of Thomas A. Edison for ASW (antisubmarine warfare) studies. Edison installed listening devices in ''Hauoli'' and carried out tests in and around New York harbor.

Post-war decommissioning

Before demobilization cut short the experiments with ''Hauoli'', it was withdrawn from that service and decommissioned 8 October 1919, and later sold to Denton Shore Lumber Co., Tampa, Florida, 7 September 1920.Web searches show the company as doing some shipbuilding, repair and scrapping. It suffered loss of several vessels in the 1921 hurricane.

Footnotes

References

External links

The Steam Yacht ''Haouli'' (''The Rudder'', December 1903, pages 604-610 with interior and exterior photographs.

{{DEFAULTSORT:California
1903 ships
Patrol vessels of the United States Navy
World War I patrol vessels of the United States
World War I auxiliary ships of the United States
Research vessels of the United States Navy
Thomas Edison
Steam yachts
Ships built in Brooklyn