Naval History and Heritage Command

The Navy retained the name carried by this small craft at the time of her acquisition.

(S.P. 1197: length 35'2"; beam 6'3"; draft 2'6" (mean); speed 20.0 knots)

Hunch, a motor boat, was built by Charles Seabury & Sons, Morris Heights, N.Y., in 1907, and was acquired from her owner, R. A. Alger of Detroit, Mich., and delivered to the Navy on 13 August 1917. Her first commanding officer was Ens. Philip L. Emerson, USNRF.

Assigned to the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Naval Districts, Hunch, given the identification number S.P. 1197, served as a patrol boat on the Detroit River during the Great War [World War I] and was returned to her owner by February 1918.

Updated, Robert J. Cressman

4 January 2024