Athero II was designed by Henry J. Gielow, and built in 1926, by George Lawley & Son, Neponset, Massachusetts, as hull number 976 for Jesse Lauriston Livermore, of New York.

An access stairway on the port side led to a lobby and to the central passageway for the crew spaces.

A centrally located door opened onto the passageway and lobby at the base of the starboard stairs giving access from the main deck.

Johnson retained ownership of the first vessel into 1937, when it was sold to Joseph M. Schenck, of Los Angeles and New York, and assigned the new signal letters KLQE.

[4] Jade was assigned to the 6th Naval District, performing inshore patrol work, until departing Charleston, for the Canal Zone, 5 May 1941.

There she performed patrol duties for Panama Sea Frontier until 11 February 1943, when she arrived Salinas, Ecuador, for transfer to that country under the lend lease program.

Arriving San Francisco, she was decommissioned and was placed in service 6 April 1944, for use as a hulk at the Dry Dock Training Center, Tiburon, California.