Panama as a civilian motorboat, sometime between 1914 and 1917.
History
United States
Name	USS Panama
Namesake	Previous name retained
Builder	Luther Finder, Key West, Florida
Completed	1914
Acquired	29 April 1917
Commissioned	26 May 1917
Fate	Transferred to United States Department of Agriculture 4 November 1920
Notes	Operated as private motorboat Panama 1914-1917
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Displacement	78 tons
Length	78 ft (24 m)
Beam	21 ft (6.4 m)
Draft	4 ft (1.2 m)
Speed	9.5 knots
Armament	1 × 3-pounder gun 1 × machine gun

USS Panama (SP-101) was an armed motorboat that served in the United States Navy as a patrol vessel from 1917 to 1920.

Panama was built as a civilian motorboat in 1914 by Luther Finder, at Key West, Florida. During her period in commercial service, she saw extensive use in laying underwater telegraph cable for Western Union in and around Key West, and may also have been used as a passenger ship.

The U.S. Navy acquired Panama from the Miami and Nassau Passenger Line on 29 April 1917 for use as a patrol boat during World War I. She was commissioned on 26 May 1917 as USS Panama (SP-101).

Panama was assigned to the 7th Naval District, headquartered at Key West. She patrolling in and around Key West during the war and occasionally operated in Caribbean waters. On 24 August 1918, during a voyage from the Panama Canal Zone to the United States, she sighted two possible German submarines on her port bow. She pursued them until dark, despite heavy weather which prevented a surface attack.

Panama was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture on 4 November 1920.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: Civilian Ships: Panama (American Motor Boat, 1914). Served as USS Panama (SP-101) in 1917-1920
• NavSource Online: Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive: Panama (SP 101)