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USS Sussex (SP-685) 
Summary
USS Sussex (SP-685) was a commercial fishing freighter acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I. She served as a minesweeper on the U.S. East Coast through the war and was sold after the World War I Armistice.
 USS Sussex (SP-685) with her crew posed on deck, c. 1917-1919.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Sussex |
| Namesake | Counties in Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia |
| Builder | R. T, Potter, Milton, Delaware |
| Laid down | date unknown |
| Completed | in 1913 |
| Acquired | by the U.S. Navy, 5 May 1917 |
| Commissioned | 31 July 1917 |
| Decommissioned | c. 11 March 1919 |
| Stricken | 11 March 1919 |
| Fate | Sold 16 January 1920; fate unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | commercial freighter |
| Displacement | 67 tons |
| Length | 74' 2" |
| Beam | 17' 6" |
| Draft | 6' 9" |
| Propulsion | steam-powered |
| Speed | 8 knots |
| Complement | 22 personnel |
| Armament | two 1-pounder guns |
A steamer built in Delaware edit
The first ship to be so named by the Navy, Sussex (SP-685) -- a fishing steamer built in 1913 by R. T. Potter at Milton, Delaware—was acquired by the Navy on 5 May 1917 from the Delaware Fish Oil Co., Lewes, Delaware; and was commissioned on 31 May 1917.
First World War service edit
Sussex operated as a minesweeper in the Third Naval District for the remainder of the conflict and for a few months following the November 1918 Armistice.
Post-war inactivation edit
She was struck from the Navy list on 11 March 1919 and sold on 16 January 1920.
References edit
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive - Sussex (SP 685)
- USS Sussex (SP-685), 1917-1920