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Patrol Yacht Photo Archive

Crystal (PY 25)



Call sign (1944):
Nan - Baker - Mike - Baker
Patrol Yacht:

  • Built in 1929 as the yacht Cambronia by Pusey and Jones, Wilmington, DE
  • Renamed Vida
  • Acquired by the Navy 15 January 1942
  • Commissioned USS Crystal (PY 25), 21 February 1942
  • Decommissioned 6 March 1946 at San Francisco, CA
  • Transferred 2 April 1947 to the Maritime Commission for disposal
  • Sold and used her as a freighter and passenger vessel in Central and South America
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

  • Length 225'
  • Beam 34'
  • Draft 13'
  • Speed 18 kts.
  • Armament: Two 3"/50 dual purpose gun mounts
  • Propulsion: Two 422bhp Winton diesel engines, two shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Motor Yacht Vida
    Vida 118k
    Vida 118k
    Vida 118k
    USS Crystal (PY 25)
    Crystal 24k Namesake: A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macroscopic single crystals are usually identifiable by their geometrical shape, consisting of flat faces with specific, characteristic orientations. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called crystallization or solidification. The word crystal derives from the Ancient Greek word (krustallos), meaning both "ice" and "rock crystal", from (kruos), "icy cold, frost" Tommy Trampp>
    Crystal 101k c. 1942
    Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1975
    U.S. Navy photo NH 83297    		 Naval History and Heritage Command
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR Ottar B. Drotning, USNR, Ret.21 February 1942 - December 1944
    02LT John A. Merriman, USNRDecember 1944 - July 1945
    03LT John K. Cowperthwaite, USNRJuly 1945 - September 1945
    04LT Peter W. Leroux, USNRSeptember 1945 - 6 March 1946
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler
    View the Crystal (PY 25)
    DANFS History entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command Website
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