Thrasher I

Thrasher I

(MB: 1. 46'; b. 9'6"; dr. 4'6" (forward); s. 9 mph.;
cpl. 7; a. 1 Lewis mg.)

Petrel ( SP-546)—a motorboat built by Murray & Tregurtha at South Boston, Mass.—was acquired from Mr. Edgar Pierce on 14 May 1917; and placed in commission at Boston on 22 May 1917.

Petrel served on section patrol in the 1st Naval District through her entire naval career, operating from the Boston section base. On 2 August 1918, she was renamed Thrasher, to avoid confusion with Navy gunboat PG-2 which also carried the name Petrel. Eventually, however, she lost that name also and went only by her number, SP-546. Unfortunately, no date for that change is available in the records, though the Ships Data U.S. Naval Vessels, issued on 1 November 1918, lists her simply as SP-5b,6 and shows both former names, Thrasher and Petrel. She served the Navy until 11 June 1919 when her name was struck from the Navy list. On 2 September 1919, she was sold to Mr. Henry X. Kelley of Boston, Mass.