The USS Arctic (SP-1158) was a wooden-hulled steam tug built in 1913 by Hall Bros. at Eagle Harbor, Washington. Originally owned by the Independent Asphalt Paving Co. of Seattle, she was inspected by the U.S. Navy on October 17, 1917, and deemed suitable for naval service. She was delivered to the Navy on December 4, 1917, and fitted out at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington. Arctic was officially commissioned on January 15, 1918, under the command of Lieutenant Junior Grade Ernest G. Heinrici, USNRF. During World War I, Arctic was briefly employed as a convoy escort, primarily operating in the Atlantic. Her service included escorting the submarine chaser USS SC-302 to San Diego, towing two coal barges through the Panama Canal, and proceeding to Hampton Roads, Virginia, for further duties. In May 1918, Arctic was assigned to Division 11, Patrol Force, and participated in convoy escort operations, notably guiding a convoy of 27 submarine chasers from New London, Connecticut, to Bermuda, and then to Ponta Delgada in the Azores. She returned to New London in August 1918 and continued operations between New London, the Azores, and Bermuda for the remainder of the year. In early 1919, Arctic was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet's Fleet Train, where she towed targets during gunnery exercises out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and transported ammunition within the 5th Naval District. Her service concluded after she moved from Havana back to Norfolk, Virginia, and was decommissioned there on July 8, 1919. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register and transferred to the M. J. Dady Engineering and Contracting Co., which had purchased her from her prewar owner. Post-military, the vessel retained the name Arctic and continued as a commercial towboat until she was scrapped in 1941. Her service highlights her role in naval convoy operations and logistical support during a critical period of maritime warfare.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.