USS ''Helenita'' (SP-210) was a yacht leased from its owner by the U.S. Navy during World War I. She was outfitted as an armed patrol craft and initially assigned to North Atlantic Ocean duty, but found to be too lightly built for the ocean. She was then relegated to patrol of

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

and the Delaware Bay until war's end, when her guns were removed and she was returned to her owner.

Yacht built in New York

The first ship to be so named by the U.S. Navy, ''Helenita'' was a 304-ton steam yacht built in 1902 by Gas Engine & Power Co., Morris Heights, New York, acquired by the Navy from Frank J. Gould August 1917, and commissioned 17 October 1917 at Morris Heights, New York.

World War I service

Originally intended for foreign service, ''Helenita'' sailed from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda 4 November, and until 1 January 1918 engaged in patrol, search, and dispatch service out of Bermuda. Found to be too lightly built for sea service, she was sent back to the United States, arriving 10 January 1918 at

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. ''Helenita'' then entered Philadelphia Navy Yard 17 January for extensive repairs. Subsequently, ''Helenita'' was assigned briefly in May to New London, Connecticut, and New York City, moving to Base 2, Delaware Bay, as a patrol vessel in June. She continued on this duty as a district craft in the

and Delaware Bay areas until sent to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, for repairs 6 August to 26 November 1918.

Post-war decommissioning

Returning to New York in May 1919, ''Helenita'' decommissioned and was simultaneously returned to her owner 17 June 1919.

References

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Steam Yacht Helenita (1902); Later USS Helenita (SP-210), 1917–1919

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helenita World War I patrol vessels of the United States Steam yachts Ships built in Morris Heights, Bronx