USS Kanawha II
USS Kanawha II (SP-130)/USS Piqua (SP-130) was a yacht acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I. She was placed into service as an escort for Allied convoys traveling across the dangerous North Atlantic Ocean. German U-boats were active in sinking Allied ships, and Kanawha II (later renamed Piqua) provided a valuable service as a lookout and in one instance attacked one and drove it off. Post-war she was returned to her pre-war owner in July 1919.
For other ships with the same name, see USS Kanawha and USS Piqua.[edit]
USS Kanawha II was built as the yacht Kanawha by Gas Engine and Power Co. and Charles L. Seabury Co., Morris Heights, New York, in 1898. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy from her owner, John Borden, April 28, 1917, and commissioned the same day as USS Kanawha II (SP–130) under the command of lieutenant commander Henry D. Cooke.
The Roman numeral II was used to avoid confusion with the Navy's replenishment oiler USS Kanawha (AO-1).
Post-war decommissioning and disposal[edit]
Piqua sailed for New York on May 20, 1919, and after stops in the Azores and Bermuda, anchored off Tompkinsville, Staten Island, in New York Harbor a month later. Later shifted to Morris Heights, New York, she was decommissioned and returned to her owner on July 1, 1919.
This article incorporates text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here. (archive)
