 Kanawha in civilian service, before World War I
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Owner | John Borden |
| Operator | United States Navy |
| Port of registry | Chicago |
| Builder | Gas Engine & Power Co, and Charles L Seabury & Co, Morris Heights |
| Launched | 27 May 1899 |
| Completed | 28 July 1899 |
| Acquired | 28 April 1917 |
| Commissioned | 28 April 1917 |
| Decommissioned | 1 July 1919 |
| Renamed | 1 March 1918 |
| Stricken | 1919 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | returned to civilian ownership, 1 July 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | armed yacht |
| Tonnage | 475 GRT, 323 NRT |
| Displacement | 575 tons |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 24.4 ft (7.4 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) (mean) |
| Depth | 14.8 ft (4.5 m) |
| Installed power | 172 NHP, 3,200 ihp |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Complement | 65 |
| Armament |
|
USS Kanawha II (SP-130), later called USS Piqua (SP-130), was a steam yacht that was built in 1899, and which the United States Navy used as an armed yacht in the First World War. She was commissioned in 1917 as Kanawha II, with the "II" added probably to distinguish her from the oiler USS Kanawha (AO-1). She was renamed Piqua in 1918, probably for the same reason.
The yacht was built in 1899 for a member of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) who wanted a steam yacht for racing. The Navy classified her as a patrol vessel, but she was faster than the U-boats of her era, which enabled her to serve as a submarine chaser. The Navy returned her to civilian ownership in July 1919.