USS Margo
_off_Philadelphia.jpg) USS Margo (SP-870) off Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1917 or 1918.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Margo |
| Namesake | Previous name retained |
| Owner | George H. McNeely |
| Builder | Mathis Yacht Building Company, Camden, New Jersey |
| Yard number | 33 |
| Completed | 1913 |
| Acquired | 14 June 1917 |
| Commissioned | 14 June 1917 |
| Identification | ON 211427, signal LCDF |
| Fate | Returned to owner 4 December 1918, sold, renamed Pandora III, scrapped 1955 |
| Notes | Operated as private cruiser Margo 1913–1917 and from 1918 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Section patrol vessel |
| Tonnage | 34 Gross register tons |
| Length | 65 ft (20 m) |
| Beam | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Draft | 3 ft 6 in (1.1 m) |
| Speed | 8.6 knots (9.9 mph; 15.9 km/h) |
| Complement | 11 |
| Armament |
|
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USS Margo (SP-870) was a raised deck cruiser built for private use taken into the United States Navy as a Section patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1918 and returned to the owner after the war.
Private cruiser
[edit]Margo was designed by John Trumpy and built as a raised deck cruiser with one funnel and tow masts in 1913 by the Mathis Yacht Building Company at Camden, New Jersey for George H. McNeely of Philadelphia.[1] The motorboat was Mathis' hull number 33 and assigned the official number 211427 and signal letters LCDF on registration.[2][3]
The cruiser's raised deck covered the crew quarters, designed for four, and extended as a trunk cabin over the engine room. The saloon was reached by stairway from the main deck. That space was 16 feet (4.9 m) in length with a long sofa with lockers flanked by buffets along the port side and Pullman berths on the starboard side. A mantle over a hot water radiator was at the forward end of the saloon with a door on the port side leading to a toilet and the one to starboard to a galley. The two berth owner's stateroom, furnished with easy chairs and rockers, was aft of the saloon. Owner's areas were finished in ivory white with mahogany trim.[1]
Margo was powered by one Standard six cylinder engine rated at 195 horsepower with a 200-gallon fuel capacity for an endurance of 500 miles at 8.6 knots (9.9 mph; 15.9 km/h). One electrical generating set driven by belt from the main engine provided a quarter kilowatt of power.[1][4]
World War I
[edit]On 14 June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free lease from her owner, George H. McNeely of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for use as a Section patrol boat during World War I. She was commissioned the same day as USS Margo (SP-870).[4][5]
Margo was assigned to the 4th Naval District and based at Philadelphia carrying out patrol duties in the Delaware River area for the rest of World War I and was returned to McNelly on 4 December 1918.[5]
Post war
[edit]The cruiser was sold, renamed Pandora III and was owned by several people in the New York area until scrapped in 1955.[2][6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Margo a 64 Footer". Motor Boating. Vol. 12, no. 4. October 1913. p. 21. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b Colton, Tim (June 6, 2018). "Mathis Yacht Building, Camden and Gloucester City NJ". ShipbuildingHistory. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation (1918). Fiftieth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States; Part VI. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 273. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b Construction & Repair Bureau (Navy) (November 1, 1918). Ships' Data U.S. Naval Vessels. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 362–367. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b Naval History And Heritage Command (December 26, 2016). "Margo (S. P. 870) 1917–1918". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ Fifty Fourth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States; Part VI. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1922. p. 111. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ^ Merchant Vessels of the United States 1953–1954; Index of Managing Owners. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1954. p. 943. Retrieved 10 September 2018.