Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-06
YACHT TO CHASE
, CHINESE PIRATES
u. S. S. Isabel to Leave Phila-
delphia Navy Yard for Trip
to the Orient
HAS GOOD WAR RECORD

, A millionaire's yacht. one of those
ladies' of the sea that during the
war "doffed her finery and stuck gun
in her belt" is being refitted and COM
missioned at the Philadelphia Navy
Yard to guard the lives and property
of Americans in the interior of China,
almost to the borders of Thibet.
The yacht is the United States
steamship Isabel, and will be the flag
ship OF the Yang -tse Patrol n small
squadron of American naval vessels
that does police work along the greater
length of the rivcr. 1t will carry the
flag Of Admiral w. II. G. Bullard. in
command of the station.
The Isabel was built at Bath, Me-,
for J"in. WHY'S, an automobile manu-
facturer, and was completed just at the
tine the United States entered the war
and was Immediately requisitioned by
the Navy Department for patrol and
convoy service. One of the fastest
pleasure yachts ever built. with speed
of twenty nine knots, It was the only
one of the hundreds turned over by pri-
vate owners that was deemed suffi-
ciently seatvorthy and fast enough to
net with navy destroyers in their reg
ular convoy and patrol duties. It was
the only yacht fitted. in addition to her
small guns. with navy torpedo tubes.
Its maiden trip was in the service of
the flag. and it took its place with the
Brest destroyers conveying troops and
war material through the submarine
area into France. 1t was kept on this
hazardous service, meeting many of the
adventures and risks that befel those
of the Biscay patrol, until the last
months of the war. 1t then was fitted
with new anti submarine listening
device and operated along the coast of
France in experimental work and hunt
ing submarines.
The Isabel recently was ordered to
the Yang-tse station to replace the
Kuiros, an old Spanish gunboat cap
tured Mt Manila Bay, that has been
doing American police duty there for
number of years. The Isabel will patrol
from the City of Shanghai to Ichang,
1000 miles inland. From there the
shallow draught gunboats Palos and
Monocacy, especially built for this
work, take the river patrol to Sui fen,
2000 miles from the sea. River pirates,
the capture of opium smugglers and
the maintenance of order among the
various tribes of Mongols along the
river constitute the principal duties Of
the patrol.
The captain of the Isabel, Lieuten-
ant Frank Loftin. has had previous
experience in this unusual service.
having served from 1914 to the outbreak
of the war on the Kuros.
1T at least is not monotonous
life admitted Commander Loftin yes
terday. talking of the trip. Zone
never knows when trouble may break
out along the beach or among the con.
gested populations of junk dwcllers.
Many Of these people are born, spend
their lives and die on the junks.
scarcely ever leaving them. Our par
ticular mission in the inadequately p0-
Iced interior Is principally the pro-
lection of American lives and property.
This is usually interpreted to extend to
Europeans. In IAN emergency we go
to the scene, put over landing party
il necessary and maintain order until
the Chinese authorities can control the
situation
The Isabel will be the first naval
vessel to leave Philadelphia in the
white and buff color scheme of the
navy. The reason for this. the prac-
ticc of which we stopped in 1908. Is
that on the China station 1t is the
regulation color.
The Isabel will leave Philadelphia
in few days by way of Gibraltar, the
Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean. II
is expected to report on the new station
early IN October.
The Irabel is 245 feet long 500 tons
displacement and the engines develop
5000 horsepower. The crew consists Of
six officers and 100 men.