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	Christabel before World War I
History
Name	Christabel
Owner	1893: Arthur Kennard, Falkirk; by 1910: Walton Ferguson; by 1917: Irving T. Bush;
Port of registry	1893: Glasgow; by 1910: New York;
Builder	D&W Henderson, Glasgow
Yard number	370
Launched	10 August 1893
Acquired	30 April 1917
Commissioned	May 1917
Decommissioned	19 May 1919
Stricken	circa 19 May 1919
Homeport	1917: Brest, France; 1918: New London, Connecticut;
Identification	pennant number SP-162
Honors and; awards	Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan was awarded the Medal of Honor for securing live depth charges that had come loose during combat with a German U-boat.
Fate	Sold 30 June 1919
General characteristics
Type	steam yacht
Tonnage	248 GRT, 103 NRT
Length	150.0 ft (45.7 m)
Beam	22.0 ft (6.7 m)
Draft	9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)
Depth	12.5 ft (3.8 m)
Installed power	53 NHP
Propulsion	triple expansion engine
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	in US Navy: 55 officers and enlisted men
Armament	two 3-inch (76 mm) guns
Armor	steel hull

USS Christabel (SP-162) was a civilian steam yacht that was built in Glasgow in 1893 for a Scottish industrialist. She had an American owner by 1910, served as a United States Navy patrol ship in the latter part of the First World War, and afterward was returned to US civilian service.

The US Navy bought her in 1917, had her fitted out as a warship, and used her on patrol duty in the North Atlantic. She served with honor as a section patrol craft, surviving an attack on a German U-boat. After the war she was briefly a training ship, before being decommissioned and sold in 1919.

Building and civilian service

D and W Henderson built Christabel in its Meadowside shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland. She was yard number 370, and was launched on 10 August 1893.^[1]

Her registered length was 150.0 ft (45.7 m), her beam was 22.0 ft (6.7 m) and her depth was 12.5 ft (3.8 m). Her tonnages were 248 GRT and 103 NRT. She had a three-cylinder triple expansion steam engine that was rated at 53 NHP.^[1]

Christabel's first owner was Arthur Kennard of the Falkirk Iron Works, who registered her in Glasgow. By 1910 her owner was Walton Ferguson and she was registered in New York.^[1] By 1917 her owner was Irving T. Bush.

World War I naval service

The US Navy bought Christabel from Bush on 30 April 1917, commissioned her at New York Navy Yard 31 May 1917 and assigned her to US Patrol Squadrons Operating in European Waters.

She fitted out was a warship and placed in commission a month later. Her main armament was two heavy 3-inch (76 mm) guns. On 9 June 1917 she left New York City to cross the Atlantic, and early in July she reached Brest, France.

For the remainder of the war Christabel served on escort and patrol duty off western France, and took part in at least two actions against German U-boats. One of these was the action of 21 May 1918 when she was credited with sinking a U-boat off Spain. However, later it was found that the U-boat was only damaged but had to be interned by Spain a few days later.

Training ship

After returning to the United States in December 1918, she was based at New London, Connecticut, and served with reserve anti-submarine squadrons as an anti-submarine training ship.

Awards and honors

As an officer on board the Christabel, Ensign Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan was awarded the Medal of Honor for "extraordinary heroism" during combat action on 21 May 1918. He exhibited "extraordinary heroism" in securing live depth charges that had come loose during combat with a German U-boat. For this act, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Officer of the Deck Lieutenant JG Howard Rutherford Shaw was awarded the Navy Cross for "promptly heading for the submarine with the intent to ram, with the result that it was possible to drop depth charges at the right time and place, damaging the submarine so severely that she was obliged to intern at Santander, Spain, for the remainder of the war."