USS Elf explained
USS Elf should not be confused with USS Elfin (SP-965).
USS Elf (SP-81) was an armed
motorboat that served in the
United States Navy as a
patrol vessel from 1917 to 1919.
Elf was a
civilian motorboat completed in early 1917 by Stanley Vansant. In early May 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free
lease from her owner, Louis H. Eisenlohr of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, for
World War I service as a
patrol boat. She was
commissioned as USS
Elf (SP-81) on 3 May 1917.
Elf performed patrol duty in the 4th Naval District until July 1918, when she was transferred to the 7th Naval District.
Elf was decommissioned on 9 January 1919 and returned to her owner on 10 January 1919.
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