USS Vedette (SP-163)
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | USS Vedette (SP-163) |
| Builder |
|
| Launched | 23 December 1899 |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Acquired | 4 May 1917 |
| Commissioned | 28 May 1917 |
| Stricken | 4 February 1919 |
| Fate | Returned to owner 4 February 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | yacht |
| Displacement | 441 tons |
| Length | 199 ft 6 in (60.81 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m) |
| Draft | 12 ft 0 in (3.66 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam engine, single-screw |
| Complement | 61 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | steel-hulled |
The first USS Vedette (SP-163) was a commercial yacht built in 1899. At the outbreak of World War I, the yacht was leased by the United States Navy, and was used as a section patrol craft in the North Atlantic Ocean. She served honorably during the war, rescuing survivors at sea, and attacking a German U-boat. At war's end, she was converted to her original configuration and returned to her owner, the railroad executive, financier, and philanthropist Frederick W. Vanderbilt (1856–1938) of New York City.