USS Alacrity (SP-206)

USS Alacrity (SP-206) was a steel cruising yacht that served in the US Navy as a section patrol craft. It was built by Pusey & Jones at Wilmington, Delaware for W. A. Bradford in 1910 then sold to John H. Blodgett of Boston.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Alacrity.
Alacrity (U.S. Motor Yacht, 1910) Photographed by her builders, Pusey & Jones of Wilmington, Delaware, circa 1910. This craft was leased by the Navy on 28 April 1917 and commissioned on 30 May 1917 as USS Alacrity (SP-206). She was returned to her owner on 28 April 1919.
History
United States
Name:
  • Alacrity
  • Nedra B.
  • Blanchard
Builder: Pusey & Jones, Wilmington, Delaware
Laid down: 1910
Launched: 1910
Acquired: 28 April 1917
Commissioned: 30 May 1917
Decommissioned: 28 April 1919
Stricken: 28 April 1919
Identification: United States O/N: 207597[1][2]
Fate: returned to owner
General characteristics
Tonnage: 69 GRT[1]
Displacement: 101 tons[3]
Length:
  • 118 ft (36.0 m) LOA 109 ft 9 in (33.5 m) WL[1]
  • 118 ft 0 in (36.0 m)[3]
Beam:
  • 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m)[1]
  • 15 ft 0 in (4.6 m)[3]
Draft:
  • 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m)[1]
  • 5 ft 1 in (1.5 m) (mean)[3]
Depth of hold: 9 feet 4 inches (2.8 m)[1]
Speed: 14 knots
Complement: 16
Armament: one 3-pounder, one 1-pounder, 2 machine guns, one depth charge track, (Y gun))

Yacht Alacrity

It was designed by Cox and Stevens and built for W. A. Bradford at Pusey & Jones of Wilmington, Delaware in 1910.[4][2] The vessel had the United States official number 207597 with the call letters LBNR, 69 GRT, 101 tons net, with over all 118 feet (36.0 m) length, 109 feet 9 inches (33.5 m) waterline length, 15 feet 6 inches (4.7 m) beam, 5 feet 6 inches (1.7 m) draft and 9 feet 4 inches (2.8 m) depth.[1]

The yacht was sold to John H. Blodgett of Boston.[4]

World War I service

The yacht Alacrity was acquired by the Navy on 28 April 1917 under a free lease from Mr. John H. Blodgett and was placed in commission on 30 May 1917 at Boston, Massachusetts, Ens. Courtland W. Babcock, USNRF, in command. Designated hull number SP-206 the vessel was assigned to the 1st Naval District for the duration of World War I conducting patrols from the Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts, section bases. Following the armistice in November 1918, the motorboat continued naval service until she was finally returned to her owner on 28 April 1919, the second anniversary of her acquisition. Her name was struck from the Navy list that same day.[3]

Return to yachting

After return from the Navy the yacht was sold to Kenneth B. Van Ripper of New York who refurbished the vessel's propulsion.[4] The original six cylinder Craig engines were replaced by six cylinder Winton gasoline engines each rated at 225 horsepower.[4] At some point the yacht was renamed Nedra B..[5]

World War II Coast Guard service

The yacht was acquired at a cost of $1 and converted at a cost of $2,390 into the Coast Guard's Blanchard commissioned 20 August 1942 during the U-boat blitz along the eastern seaboard then underway to augment coastal patrols.[6] Blanchard, designated first CGR-106 and later WPYc-369, was assigned to the Gulf Sea Frontier serving out of Key West conducting anti-submarine and escort duties until decommissioned on 25 November 1943 and returned to her owners.[6]

References
  1. Lloyd's Register of American Yachts 1917.
  2. Colton.
  3. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Alacrity.
  4. The Rudder January 1920.
  5. NavSource Online.
  6. United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.

Bibliography
  • Colton, T. (September 12, 2014). "Pusey & Jones, Wilmington DE". Shipbuilding History. T. Colton. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  • Day, Thomas Fleming (Editor) (1912). "New Engines for Alacrity". The Rudder. Fawcett Publications. 36 (January 1920): 25. Retrieved 17 July 2015.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  • Lloyd's Register of Shipping (1917). Lloyd's Register of American Yachts. New York: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. p. 136. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  • Naval History And Heritage Command. "Alacrity I (SP-206)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  • NavSource Online. "USCGC Blanchard (WPYc 369), ex-USCGC Blanchard (CGR 106), ex-USS Alacrity (SP 206)". Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive. NavSource Online. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  • United States Coast Guard Historian's Office (November 17, 2014). "Blanchard, 1942". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
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