Bab

 

A name given to the boat by her owner prior to her acquisition by the Navy.

(Motor boat: tonnage 7 (gross); length 38'0"; beam 8'1"; draft 2'4"; speed 36 miles per hour; armament 2 machine guns)

Bab--a sea-sled type motorboat built in 1917 at Boston, Massachusetts, by Murray and Tregurtha Company--was purchased by the Navy for $1.00 from Milton Wilson of Chicago, Illinois; designated as a section patrol craft, SP-116; and delivered on 6 October 1917. Assigned to the 9th Naval District, Bab patrolled the waters of Lake Michigan until the onset of winter caused her to be laid up.

Bab (SP-116) high and dry, circa 1917-1918. Note her hull form and designation number, 116, in low-contrast paint.
(Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph NH 100220)

Eventually judged “not suitable for naval use,” Bab was returned to her owner for the sum of $1.00 on 31 December 1918.

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