William Ashton, a steel-hulled, steam screw trawler built in 1918 at Torry Shipbuilding Co., Aberdeen, Scotland, by J. Duthie for the British Admiralty, was leased by the United States Navy for service with the North Sea Minesweeping Detachment on 26 May 1919 and was commissioned that day. No records have been located for this vessel, but it can be assumed that she served in one of the two trawler divisions serving with the Minesweeping Detachment, North Atlantic Fleet, in clearing the North Sea Mine Barrage. Ships of her type were proved to be inadequate to stand up to the harsh demands of minesweeping in the inhospitable North Sea and were returned to the British Admiralty after comparatively short service. William Ashton was decommissioned and returned on 5 August 1919.
