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Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive

HMCS Cougar (Z 15)



Cougar call sign:
Charlie - George - Jig - Zebra

ex-USS Sabalo (SP 225)



Civilian call sign (1919):
Love - George - Dog - Jig


Sabalo served the Navies of the United States and Canada
Patrol Yacht:

  • Built in 1916 by George Lawley and Sons, Neponset, MA
  • Acquired by the Navy 11 May 1917
  • Commissioned USS Sabalo (SP 225), 20 July 1917
  • Decommissioned 3 March 1919, struck from the Navy Register and returned to her owner
  • Sold in 1921 to Van Lear Black of Baltimore, MD
  • Sold in 1931 to the Albert Pack Corp. of Chicago, IL and renamed Breezin' Thru
  • Sold in 1937 to Leila Y. Post Montgomery of Battle Creek, MI
  • Sold in 1940 to Bearl Sprott Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Acquired by the Royal Canadian Navy 11 September 1940 and commissioned HMCS Cougar (Z 15) and placed on anti-submarine patrol out of Esquimalt, British Columbia
  • Transferred in May 1942 to Prince Rupert Force
  • Returned to Esquimalt in June 1944, to serve as an examination vessel
  • Decommissioned 23 November 1945 and returned to her owner, Bearl Sprott Ltd., in 1946 and renamed Breezin' Thru
  • Sunk during a hurricane at Kingston, Jamaica in September 1950.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 204 t.
  • Length 140' 2"
  • Beam 19' 6"
  • Draft 6'
  • Speed 14 kts.
  • Complement 37
    RCN complement 40
  • Armament: Two 3-pounders and two machine guns
    RCN one 6-pounder
  • Propulsion: Three 250hp 6-cylinder Speedway gasoline engines, three shafts.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Motor Yacht Sabalo
    Sabalo 123k Underway, circa 1916
    Photographed by Edwin Levick, New York City
    U.S. Navy photo NH 81896    		 Naval Historical Center
    USS Sabalo (SP 225)
    SC-64 125k SC-64 underway in a New York area harbor, 1918. Ships in the immediate background are (from left to right): USS Bailey (Torpedo Boat No. 21); Tarantula (SP 124); Sabalo; A Bagley class torpedo boat; and USS SC-55.
    U.S. Navy photo NH 59816    		 Naval Historical Center
    Tarantula 114k USS Tarantula (SP 124), in left center, and Sabalo, in center. Docked in a New York area harbor, 1918. A Bagley class torpedo boat is also present, at right. This image is cropped from the Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 59816
    Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 59816-A    		 Robert Hurst
    Motor Yacht Sabalo
    Sabalo 109k 20 August 1930 - Photo Caption -"Baltimore Publisher and Yacht From Which He Was Lost. -- The yacht Sabalo, from which Van Lear Black was lost Monday night. A close-up of the publisher, financier, and aviation enthusiast, who is believed to have fallen from the yacht and drowned, is shown in the inset." Paley Library of Temple University
    Motor Yacht Breezin' Thru
    Sabalo 52k . Historical Collections of the Great Lakes
    Sabalo 77k c. May 1940
    When in use by Clarence Wallace of Vancouver
    Photos from "The Armed Yachts of Canada", by Fraser Mckee    		 Robert Hurst
    HMCS Cougar (Z 15)
    Sabalo 50k Canadian Navy photo Joe Radigan
    Sabalo 81k c. December 1940
    Strait of Juan de Fuca
    Cougar with Asdic hut perched atop the bridge.
    Courtesy of Dept. of National Defence, Historical Section
    Photos from "The Armed Yachts of Canada", by Fraser Mckee    		 Robert Hurst
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships:

    Sabalo

    Another name for the tarpon, a large, silvery game fish of the herring group, found in the warmer parts of the western Atlantic. The first Sabalo retained her former name; the second [SS-302] was named for the fish.

    Sabalo (SP-225) was built in 1916 by George Lawley & Sons, Neponset, Mass.; acquired by the Navy from Mr. W. Earl Dodge of New York City; placed in service on 20 July 1917, assigned to the 3d Naval District. After serving on section patrol through World War I, she was placed out of service and returned to her owner on 3 March 1919.

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