USS Vidofner ( SP - 402 ) USS " Vidofner " ( SP - 402 ) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from June to December 1917 . Construction and acquisition . " Vidofner " was built as a private steam yacht of the same name in 1906 by Murray and Tregurtha at South Boston , Massachusetts . On 19 May 1917 , the U . S . Navy acquired her from her owners - S . H . Freihefer , H . M . Pfiel , and E . G . Schmidneiser - for use as a section patrol vessel during World War I . She was commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , as USS " Vidofner " ( SP - 402 ) on 7 June 1917 with Lieutenant , junior grade , Edgar S . Husband , USNRF , in command . Operations from Philadelphia . " Vidofner " underwent an overhaul and made a short trial run down the Delaware River to test her engines , then was assigned to local patrol duties at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and commenced her initial patrol on 31 July 1917 . During her first night on patrol , she arrested two men in a rowboat and eight men in a cutter as they tried to enter the reserve basin area , which was a forbidden zone . When the ten men were returned to their respective ships , they were identified and released . On 2 August 1917 , " Vidofner " picked up a man in a skiff " who was acting suspiciously . " When the man was identified by the navy yards quartermaster , he , too , was released . At 11 : 15 hours on 5 August 1917 , an aide from the office of the Commandant , 4th Naval District , arrived at " Vidofner " s dock and requested that she make ready to get underway at once . Accordingly , an inspection party boarded " Vidofner " and she headed downstream toward the troop transport USS " Henderson " ( Transport No . 1 ) , which had run aground earlier that day . Early on 6 August , after the inspection party had been transferred to the stranded troopship , " Vidofner " headed back to the navy yard and relieved the patrol boat on patrol at 08 : 00 hours . Two hours later , " Vidofner " stopped the tug " Sam Weller " near a restricted area and ordered her out . When the tug failed to comply quickly enough , " Vidofner " fired two shots in the air , which was sufficient prodding to hurry " Sam Weller " on her way . " Vidofner " remained on patrol duty at the Philadelphia Navy Yard until she was assigned to northern submarine net patrol at the mouth of the Delaware Bay on 31 August 1917 . Operations in the Delaware Bay . " Vidofner " s first month on patrol in the lower Delaware Bay was uneventful . On 8 October 1917 , a heavy storm swept across Delaware Bay , threatening to scatter the flotilla on patrol duty there . " Vidofner " dragged anchor at 07 : 30 hours and fouled the patrol boat before getting underway and clearing " Sea Gull " . After taking " a bad pounding " in the rough seas , " Vidofner " dropped both anchors and moored off Brown Shoal Buoy in the hope of riding out the storm . The storm did not let up . " Sea Gull " , unable to get underway , drifted off into the pre - dawn darkness on 9 October 1917 , dragging her anchors and sending out SOS signals . Ordered to make for the breakwater at Lewes , Delaware , where some measure of shelter was afforded , " Vidofner " got underway and made haven there on 9 October 1917 . " Sea Gull " also arrived there by 08 : 15 hours on 9 October under tow . " Vidofner " shifted her base of operations to Cape May , New Jersey , on 13 October 1917 . From there , she performed submarine net patrol duties in the Delaware Capes area until she was decommissioned at Essington , Pennsylvania , near Philadelphia , on 7 December 1917 and returned to her owners .