Pirate I (S. P. 229)
1917–1918
The first Pirate (S. P. 229) retained the name she carried at the time of her acquisition in 1917; the second (AM-275) was given the name of a general word classification.
I
(S. P. 229: length 42'0"; beam 11'6"; draft 2'11"; complement 8; armament 1 1-pounder, 1 machine gun)
The single-screw motorboat Pirate, built by A. Craven Construction Co., Charleston, S.C., in 1916, was inspected in the Sixth Naval District following the United States’ entry into World War I, for potential service as a section patrol vessel in that region.
Enrolled and ordered delivered on 6 June 1917, Pirate was chartered by the Navy from the craft’s owner, Ashley Halsey, of Charleston, on 5 September 1917. Given the designation S. P. 229, the patrol vessel was commissioned on that date.
Pirate carried out local patrol duties, punctuated by periods of upkeep and repairs, in the Sixth Naval District, for the duration of hostilities. The Commandant Sixth Naval District returned Pirate to Mr. Halsey on 26 December 1918, the day after Christmas.
Robert J. Cressman
6 October 2015
