USS Helvetia

USS Helvetia (SP-3096) was a United States Navy patrol vessel in commission from 1918 to 1919.

Helvetia was built as a civilian three-masted schooner of the same name in 1905 by I. L. Snow & Company at Rockland, Maine.

Assigned to the 5th Naval District, Helvetia initially was deployed as a decoy ship teamed with a U.S Navy submarine following her during antisubmarine patrols off the United States East Coast.

It was hoped that her innocent appearance would lure unsuspecting German submarines to the surface to attack her with gunfire, allowing the submerged U.S. Navy submarine nearby to torpedo and sink them.

She then was transferred to New London, Connecticut, for similar duties there with the submarine force of the United States Atlantic Fleet.

Helvetia as a civilian schooner prior to her United States Navy service, probably in July 1918 when she was inspected for possible naval service.
USS Helvetia (SP-3096) under full sail while operating as a decoy ship during an antisubmarine patrol against German submarines off the United States East Coast in 1918. The photograph was taken from the U.S. Navy submarine USS E-2 (Submarine No. 25) .