Naval History and Heritage Command

The Navy retained the name that this vessel carried at the time of her acquisition,

(S.P. 1476: length 62'; beam 20'; draft 6'; complement 9)

Bessie Jones, a schooner built in 1892 at Little Choptank River, Md., by Joseph W. Brooks, was acquired by the Navy on 24 August 1917 from the Conservation Commission of Maryland. No information is available on her commissioning date or her service. Most probably, the sailing ship, gioven the identification number S.P. 1476, operated in the waters of Chesapeake Bay. She was decommissioned and returned to her owner on 27 November 1918.

Raymond A. Mann
15 February 2006