Her keel was laid down in 1916 at Lynn, Massachusetts, by Britt Brothers [Wikidata].

[2] She was acquired by the United States Navy from Albert Geiger, Jr., of Brookline, Massachusetts, and classified as a section patrol (SP) craft.

Initially assigned to First Naval District New England, Boy Scout was given the hull classification symbol SP-53 and was shipped overseas for "aviation service" perhaps, in view of her speed, for use as a crash boat at a naval air station.

Naval Vessels of 1 July 1920 described Boy Scout as "overseas" but did not state where, only adding the curious notation that she was "not definitely accounted for, and in the absence of further reports will not be listed hereafter.

"[3] This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.