Virginia, a 441 gross ton steam yacht, was built in Bath Maine. Completed in late 1899, she was renamed Vedette in 1916. The Navy leased her from her owner, Frederick W. Vanderbilt of New York City, in May 1917, converted her for patrol service and, later in that month, placed her in commission as USS Vedette (SP-163). During June and early July she steamed across the Atlantic to France, calling on Bermuda and the Azores en route. During the rest of 1917 and most of 1918, Vedette was employed on anti-submarine patrol and convoy escort duty off western France. While so engaged, she rescued the crew of a torpedoed freighter in August 1917 and, a year later, searched for an enemy U-Boat that had attacked her convoy. In December 1918, following the First World War's conclusion, Vedette returned to the U.S. She was subsequently decommissioned and, in early February 1919, given back to her owner.
This page features the only views we have concerning USS Vedette (SP-163) and the civilian yacht Vedette of 1899.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 29 January 2006