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Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive

USC&GS Elsie III



Call sign (1933):
William - Tare - Fox - Preparatory

USS Elsie III (SP 708)

Elsie III served both the U. S. Navy and the Coast & Geodetic Survey

Motorboat:

  • Built in 1912 by the New York Yacht, Launch and Engine Co., Morris Heights, NY
  • Acquired by the Navy 1 June 1917
  • Commissioned USS Elsie III (SP 708), 30 June 1917
  • Transferred to the Coast and Geodetic Survey 21 April 1919 and commissioned USC&GS Elsie III
  • Served until 1944.
  • Fate unknown.

    Specifications:

  • Displacement 24 t.
  • Length 52'
  • Beam 11' 6"
  • Draft 3' 10"
    1933 - 4'
  • Speed 9.5 kts.
    1933 - 8 kts.
  • Complement: Seven
  • Armament: One 1-pounder and one machine gun
  • Propulsion: One 45hp 4-cylinder 20th Century gasoline engine, one shaft.
    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Motorboat Elsie III
    Elsie III 142k Photographed prior to her World War I Naval service
    Naval Historical Center photo NH 99326    		 Robert Hurst
    USS Elsie III (SP 708)
    Elsie III 89k In Lockwood's Basin, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1918, with an old torpedo boat (probably USS Rodgers, Torpedo Boat # 4) alongside USS Moosehead (ID 2047). Elsie III is alongside the pier in left center with Alacrity (SP 206) beyond.
    Photographed by Alton M. Blackinton, Boston
    U.S. Navy photo NH 45269    		 Naval Historical Center
    Paloma 107k In Lockwood's Basin, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1918. They are (from left to right): USS Paloma (SP-533); USS Edithena (SP-624); and Elsie III
    Photographed by Alton M. Blackinton, Boston
    U.S. Navy photo NH 45270
    Lynx II 116k USS SP-1259 (ex-Grayling) stands out of Lockwood's Basin, Boston, Massachusetts, while on patrol, circa 1918. Elsie III and USS Lynx II (SP-730) are among the patrol boats in
    the background
    Photographed by Alton M. Blackinton, Boston
    U.S. Navy photo NH 45271
    Lynx II 121k Elsie III (outboard), tied up with other patrol boats in Lockwood's Basin, Boston, Massachusetts, circa 1918. USS Lynx II (SP-730) is one of the two other patrol boats present
    Photographed by Alton M. Blackinton, Boston
    U.S. Navy photo NH 45276
    USC&GS Elsie III
    Elsie III 96k c. 1924
    Lake Okeechobee, FL    		 NOAA Website
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Elsie III (SP 708), a motorboat, purchased by the Navy, was placed in service on 30 June 1917 and assigned to the 1st Naval District where she performed dispatch, guard, patrol, towing, and transport duties. On 21 April 1919 she was transferred to the Coast and Geodetic Survey Bureau.
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