USS Annabelle

	Annabelle (or Anna Belle) probably as a private motorboat sometime between 1898 and 1917.
History
United States
Name	USS Annabelle or Anna Belle
Namesake	Previous name retained
Builder	John Archie
Completed	1898
Acquired	15 June 1917
Commissioned	16 August 1917
Fate	Returned to owner 20 December 1918
Notes	Operated as private motorboat Annabelle or Anna Belle 1898-1917 and from 1918
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Tonnage	8 Gross register tons
Length	37 ft 11 in (11.56 m)
Beam	11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)
Draft	3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) aft
Speed	8 miles per hour
Complement	5
Armament	1 × 1-pounder gun

USS Annabelle (SP-1206), also spelled Anna Belle, was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1918.

Annabelle was built in 1898 as a private motorboat of the same name by John Archie. On 15 June 1917, the U.S. Navy chartered her from her owner, Mr. W. J. Mathewes of Chincoteague, Virginia, for use as a section patrol vessel during World War I. She was commissioned as USS Annabelle or Anna Belle (SP-1206) on 16 August 1917.

Assigned to the 5th Naval District, Annabelle served on section patrol duties in the Norfolk, Virginia-Hampton Roads area until returned to Matthewes on 20 December 1918.

Notes

^ The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a9/annabelle.htm and NavSource Online at http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/171206.htm give Annabelle's speed as 8 miles per hour, implying statute miles per hour, an unusual unit of measure for the speed of a watercraft. It is possible that her speed actually was 8 knots. If 8 statute miles per hour is accurate, the equivalent in knots is 7.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Department of the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: Anna Belle (American Motor Boat, 1898). Served as USS Anna Belle (SP-1206) in 1917-1918
NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Annabelle (SP 1206)

[1] The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships at http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a9/annabelle.htm and NavSource Online at http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/171206.htm give Annabelle's speed as 8 miles per hour, implying statute miles per hour, an unusual unit of measure for the speed of a watercraft. It is possible that her speed actually was 8 knots. If 8 statute miles per hour is accurate, the equivalent in knots is 7.

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