USS Margaret (SP-527)
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | USS Margaret |
| Namesake | Previous name retained |
| Builder | Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Cost | $104,000 USD (Navy acquisition price) |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Acquired | August 1917 |
| Commissioned | 16 October 1917 |
| Decommissioned | November 1918 |
| Nickname(s) | Maggie |
| Fate | Sold 30 September 1921 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Patrol vessel |
| Tonnage | 245 gross register tons |
| Length | |
| Beam | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Draft | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Two Almy boilers, one 728-indicated horsepower (543-kilowatt) vertical triple-expansion steam engine, one shaft |
| Speed |
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| Armament |
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USS Margaret (SP-527) was a yacht acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I and in commission as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1918. She was assigned to escort and patrol duty in the North Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, she had numerous mechanical problems and her commanding officer -- Lieutenant Commander Frank Jack Fletcher (1885–1973), a future admiral and aircraft carrier task force commander of World War II – did not consider her an effective fighting ship. Fletcher would finally ask the Navy to condemn her as unfit for naval service—something the Navy promptly did.