USS Willoughby (SP-2129)

	Ferry steamer SS Willoughby, which served in the United States Navy as patrol vessel USS Willoughby (SP-2129) in 1918-1919
History
United States
Name	USS Willoughby
Namesake	Willoughby Bay, an estuary of Hampton Roads at Norfolk, Virginia (previous name retained)
Completed	1903
Commissioned	8 February 1918
Decommissioned	26 September 1919
Fate	Returned to owner 26 September 1919
Notes	Operated as commercial ferry SS Augustus J. Phillips and SS Willoughby 1903-1918 and SS Willoughby from 1919
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Tonnage	147 Gross register tons
Length	104 ft 5 in (31.83 m)
Beam	22 ft 0 in (6.71 m)
Draft	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) dph
Propulsion	Steam
Complement	17

The first USS Willoughby (SP-2129)^[1] was a patrol vessel that served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1919.

Willoughby was built as the wooden-hulled ferry steamer SS Augustus J. Phillips in 1903 at South Rondout, New York. Her name had been changed to SS Willoughby by the time she was chartered by the U.S. Navy from the Chesapeake Ferry Company of Portsmouth, Virginia, for local district patrol duties during World War I. She was assigned the Navy classification SP-2129 and commissioned as USS Willoughby on 8 February 1918.

Willoughby operated in the 5th Naval District for the duration of World War I and ultimately was decommissioned and returned to her pre-war owners on 26 September 1919.

Notes

^ The Dictionary of American Naval Fightings Ships gives her designation as "SP-2129", while the Naval Historical Center [1] gives it as both "SP-2129" and "ID-2129" (or "Id. No. 2129"). The ship was used as a patrol vessel, indicating that SP-2129 was her designation, "SP" standing for "section patrol"; the "ID" or "Id. No." designations were used for ships in service as cargo ships, tankers, and transports, activities in which the ship was not involved, indicating that "ID-2129" or "Id. No. 2129" is incorrect

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center: Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: Willoughby (Ferry Steamer, 1903). Originally named Augustus J. Phillips. Served as USS Willoughby (ID # 2129) in 1918-1919 at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2012-10-09)

[1] The Dictionary of American Naval Fightings Ships gives her designation as "SP-2129", while the Naval Historical Center [1] gives it as both "SP-2129" and "ID-2129" (or "Id. No. 2129"). The ship was used as a patrol vessel, indicating that SP-2129 was her designation, "SP" standing for "section patrol"; the "ID" or "Id. No." designations were used for ships in service as cargo ships, tankers, and transports, activities in which the ship was not involved, indicating that "ID-2129" or "Id. No. 2129" is incorrect

[1]