USS Mariner (SP-1136) was a wooden-hulled tugboat

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. She had previously been the Jack T. Scully of the Neptune Line of New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 before her acquisition by the Navy. She foundered and sank in a gale on 26 February 1918 while part of a convoy steaming to Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

.

History

Mariner, formerly the steam tug Jack T. Scully of the Neptune Line, New York City, was built in 1899 by A. C. Brown, Tottenville

Tottenville, Staten Island

Tottenville with an area of approx. , is the southernmost neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City and New York State. Originally named Bentley Manor by one of its first settlers, Captain Christopher Billop , after a small ship he owned named the Bentley, the district was renamed Tottenville in...

, Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and had previously steamed between New York and Bangor, Maine

Bangor, Maine

Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...

. Considered “strongly built” and a “good sea boat” for potential employment as a minesweeper, Mariner was delivered to the Navy on 25 September 1917. Earmarked “for distant service” on 1 October 1917 and given the designation SP-1136, she was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York, on 19 December 1917, Lt. (jg.)

Lieutenant, Junior Grade

Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...

 Martin Miller, USNRF in command. The Navy spent $3,000 refitting the tug for naval service.

Initially, Mariner performed routine duty at the New York Navy Yard and in the waters of New York harbor. Following that period of local work, she got underway on 6 February 1918 in company with converted yachts and , bound for New London, Connecticut

New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....

. The little convoy proceeded uneventfully until increasingly heavy ice floes began to impede their progress. Mariner took Wadena in tow, getting her through one congested area and then dropping the tow when clear. When Wadena again ran into difficulty, Mariner took the yacht in tow, until forced to stop (Yacona then took Wadena in tow for a time) when the ice in Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

 smashed in some of her timbers, compelling Lt.(jg) Miller to order the tug beached at New London to facilitate repairs. Once again seaworthy, Mariner steamed up Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay

Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...

 to the coaling station at Melville, Rhode Island

Melville, Rhode Island

Melville is a village in the town of Portsmouth in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The village is also the basis of a census-designated place , which extends south along the shore of Narragansett Bay into the town of Middletown to encompass the village of Lawtons and the port...

, where she helped Yacona get underway for Newport

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

 during the afternoon watch on 23 February, then proceeded to assist the section patrol boat that had suffered a fire at Melville later that same day. Mariner then shifted to Newport.

Mariner got underway for Bermuda

Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...

 on 24 February 1918 in company with Yacona and Wadena, the tug , eleven 110 feet (33.5 m) submarine chaser

Submarine chaser

A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...

s, and the French tug Mohican. As the convoy worked its way down the eastern seaboard

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

, however, Mariner fell farther behind. She briefly towed the submarine chaser before the tug herself began to founder in the heavy southwesterly gale that sprang up on 26 February. Her seams opened to the sea by the pounding of the waves, her pumps failed; rising water doused the fires under her boilers and rendered her helpless.

Consequently, Mariner hoisted the breakdown flag shortly before noon and cast loose SC-177. Shortly thereafter, the crew of Mariner signaled that they were sinking fast. Wadena stood by to render assistance, in rough and high seas. After embarking two groups of Mariner’s crew from life rafts, Wadena sprayed oil on the water to calm the seas, and then brought on board the rest of the tug's complement from three more rafts. The last group—which included Lt. (jg.) Miller, Mariner’s commanding officer—had abandoned the tug with its decks awash, and reached Wadena’s side at around 17:30. Abandoned, Mariner sank sometime after 21:45 that day at approximately 38°26′N 68°9′W.

While the rest of the convoy continued on its passage, Wadena retrieved SC-177 and ultimately reached the British naval station at Hamilton, Bermuda

Hamilton, Bermuda

Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...

, on 1 March 1918.

Mariner was stricken from the Navy Register on 8 March 1918.

External links

• Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center