USS Fli-Hawk

History
United States
Name	USS Fli-Hawk
Namesake	Previous name retained
Completed	1912
Acquired	1917
Commissioned	12 May 1917
Decommissioned	8 February 1919
Fate	Returned to owner 8 February 1919
Notes	Operated as private motorboat[1] or motor yacht[2]Fli-Hawk 1912-1917 and from 1919
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Tonnage	35 gross register tons
Length	81 ft 5 in (24.82 m)
Beam	12 ft 1 in (3.68 m)
Draft	4 ft (1.2 m)
Speed	10 knots
Complement	13
Armament	1 × 1-pounder gun

USS Fli-Hawk (SP-550) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1917 to 1919.

Fli-Hawk was built as a private motorboat^[3] or motor yacht^[4] of the same name in 1912. In 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free lease from her owner for use as a section patrol vessel during World War I. She was commissioned as USS Fli-Hawk (SP-550) on 12 May 1917.

Assigned to the 5th Naval District, Fli-Hawk operated on patrol duties in the Norfolk, Virginia, area for the rest of World War I.

On 31 December 1917, Fli-Hawk was getting underway when she collided with the steamer SS Gratitude in Norfolk Harbor. Fli-Hawk sank three hours later, but was raised, repaired, and returned to service.

Fli-Hawk was decommissioned on 8 February 1919 and returned to her owner.

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• SP-550 Fli-Hawk at Department of the Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships -- Listed by Hull Number "SP" #s and "ID" #s -- World War I Era Patrol Vessels and other Acquired Ships and Craft numbered from SP-500 through SP-599
• NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Fli-Hawk (SP 550)