USS Cythera (PY-26)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Ramage and Ferguson, Ltd. |
| Launched: | September 20, 1906 |
| Christened: | As civilian yacht Agawa |
| Commissioned: | October 20, 1917 as SP-575 and December 31, 1941 as PY-26 |
| Decommissioned: | March 17, 1919 and returned to civilian ownership until 1941 |
| Struck: | June 24, 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk May 2, 1942 by U-402 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,000 tons |
| Length: | 215 ft |
| Beam: | 27 ft 6 in |
| Draft: | 12 ft 0 in |
| Speed: | 12 knots (14 mph/22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 113 |
| Armament: | Three 3 inch gun mounts |
The USS Cythera (SP-575/PY-26) was a US Navy patrol yacht, originally laid down as the civilian yacht Agawa, that saw service in the Atlantic during both World War I and World War II.
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[edit] History
[edit] World War I
Originally constructed in Leith, Scotland and launched as the civilian yacht Agawa on September 20, 1906, she was subsequently leased by the US Navy in 1917 and commissioned as the USS Cythera (SP-575). Sailing from New York on October 27, 1917, Cythera arrived at Newport the next day and was assigned to Patrol Force, Atlantic Fleet. She cleared Newport November 1 with her squadron, and escorted and towed submarine chasers to European waters, before arriving at Gibraltar on December 29. Based out of Gibraltar, she patrolled and escorted convoys between her base and Mediterranean ports in France, Italy, and Africa. She was decommissioned March 17, 1919, and returned to her owner two days later.
[edit] World War II
After serving under civilian operation for more than two decades, Cythera was reacquired by the US Navy on December 31, 1941 and given the designation PY-26. Her conversion into a patrol vessel was completed February 28, and she was placed in service March 3, 1942. On May 2, 1942, she was torpedoed and sunk by the U-boat U-402 off the coast of North Carolina. Of the 71 crew on board at the time, only two survived and were picked up by the attacking submarine as prisoners of war.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
