Edithia was built by C. L. Seabury Co., Morris Heights, New York, in 1909; purchased by the Navy in May 1917; and commissioned 23 August 1917.

Edithia was assigned to the 3rd Naval District where she patrolled in Long Island Sound, and guarded the submarine nets in New York Harbor for the duration of World War I.

Retained in the U.S. Navy after the war, she remained in the 3rd Naval District, carrying out various functions.

She was decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 13 December 1921, and in July 1922, lent to the State of New Jersey.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.