USS Dolphin (SP-874)

USS *Dolphin* (SP-874)
	The civilian motorboat Ora Belle sometime between 1911 and 1918, prior to her service as USS Dolphin (SP-874).
History
United States
Name:	Ora Belle (1911–1918); USS Dolphin (1918); Dolphin (1918–);
Namesake:	Dolphin, various species of marine mammal closely related to whales and porpoises (previous name retained)
Builder:	H. C. Carson Love
Completed:	1911
Acquired:	21 July 1918
Commissioned:	24 August 1918[1]
Fate:	Returned to owner 16 December 1918
General characteristics
Type:	Patrol vessel
Length:	40 ft (12 m)

The fifth USS Dolphin (SP-874) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission during 1918.

Dolphin was built as the civilian motorboat Ora Belle in 1911 by H. C. Carson Love. Used as a pleasure craft in the Charleston, South Carolina, area, she later was renamed Dolphin.

The US Navy acquired Dolphin on 21 July 1918 for World War I service as a patrol vessel. She was commissioned as USS Dolphin (SP-874) on 24 August 1918.[1]

Assigned to the 6th Naval District, Dolphin operated on section patrol based at Charleston, South Carolina, for the rest of World War I.

Dolphin was returned to her owner on 16 December 1918.

Dolphin should not be confused with USS Dolphin (PG-24), a gunboat and dispatch vessel in commission at the time, or with USS Dolphin (SP-318), a fishing vessel the US Navy considered for service as a patrol vessel in 1917 but apparently never acquired from her owners.

Notes

The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships states that Dolphin served in a non-commissioned status, but the Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images and NavSource Online provide a commissioning date.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
"Ora Belle (American Motor Boat, 1911). Later renamed Dolphin. Served as USS Dolphin (SP-874) in 1918". Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships. Naval History & Heritage Command.
Photo gallery of USS Dolphin at NavSource Naval History

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[note-1] The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships states that Dolphin served in a non-commissioned status, but the Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images and NavSource Online provide a commissioning date.