Wasaka III MB

Wasaka III

(MB: 1. 53'0"; b. 10'0''; s. 9.0 k.; cpl. 6; a. 1 1-pdr., 1 Colt mg.)

Wasaka III—a wooden-hulled motorboat—was built at Lynn, Mass., by Britt Brothers, boat builders. Acquired by the Navy in the spring of 1917 from Mr. John J. Martin of Boston under a free-lease agreement, Wasaka III was apparently manned on 22 April 1917 as her deck log indicates that the first men—the most senior rating being a Machinist's Mate 2d Class A. Rowbottom, USNRF—reported on board on that day. There is no record of a commissioning, and the deck log does not start until 1 June 1917.

Initially, Wasaka III—classified SP-342—operated from the Commonwealth Pier, Boston, Mass. On 26 September 1917, she shifted to the Bumkin Island section base, whence she operated for the duration of the war and into 1919. Her log ends on 31 March 1919, and she was returned to her owner on 18 April of the same year.