USS Raven III (SP-103)
USS Raven III (SP-103), later USS SP-103, was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.
| History | |
|---|---|
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| Name: | USS Raven III |
| Namesake: | Previous name retained |
| Builder: | Purdy Boat Company, Miami, Florida |
| Completed: | 1916 |
| Acquired: | 14 June 1917 (delivered 28 June 1917) |
| Commissioned: | 5 October 1917 |
| Renamed: | USS SP-103 soon after commissioning |
| Fate: | Sank 12 September 1919; raised and later sold |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Patrol vessel |
| Displacement: | 6 tons |
| Length: | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Beam: | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Draft: | 2 ft (0.61 m) |
| Speed: | 27.7 knots |
| Complement: | 6 |
| Armament: | 1 × 1-pounder gun |
Raven III was built as a civilian motorboat in 1916 at by the Purdy Boat Company at Miami, Florida. The U.S. Navy purchased her from Purdy on 14 June 1917 for use as a patrol boat during World War I. Purdy delivered Raven III to the Navy on 28 June 1917, and she was commissioned on 5 October 1917 at Key West, Florida, as USS Raven III (SP-103) with Motor Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Gordon Stanford, USNRF, in command.
Soon after commissioning, Raven III was renamed USS SP-103 and attached to Section 4 of the 7th Naval District's coast defense force as a patrol craft working with the training facility at Key West.
SP-103 sank accidentally on 12 September 1919. She was raised and later sold to Stewart McDonald of the Moon Motor Car Company of St. Louis, Missouri.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: SP-103 ex-Raven III (SP 103)