The USS Patterson (DD-36) was a modified Paulding-class destroyer constructed by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Laid down on March 29, 1910, and launched on April 29, 1911, she was commissioned into the US Navy on October 11, 1911. The vessel measured approximately 305 feet in length, with a beam of about 30 feet, and displaced around 1,210 tons. Her armament included torpedo tubes and deck guns suitable for her role as a destroyer, designed for fleet escort and patrol duties. Initially serving along the New England coast, the Patterson conducted operations from her homeport in Boston, covering coastal patrols, convoy escort, and showing presence off the Virginia Capes, Charleston, Pensacola, and Guantánamo Bay. She participated in early U.S. military efforts during World War I, notably patrolling the Atlantic approaches to protect trans-Atlantic convoys and engaging in antisubmarine activities. A significant milestone was her role as flagship of the second division of destroyers crossing the Atlantic in May 1917. She was the first destroyer to refuel at sea from the fleet oiler USS Maumee, enabling her to complete the trans-Atlantic crossing to Queenstown, Ireland, arriving on June 1, 1917. During her wartime service, Patterson conducted patrols and escort missions in the Irish Sea, dropping depth charges on German U-boats and rescuing survivors from torpedoed vessels. She notably rescued survivors from the Norwegian bark Kringsjaa in June 1918. In August 1918, she served as the flagship of the "Patterson Group," hunting German U-boats along the U.S. East Coast. During this period, she was involved in a friendly fire incident when the American cargo ship SS Felix Taussig mistakenly shelled her submarine chaser, USS SC-209, resulting in the loss of 18 lives—the U.S. Navy's largest friendly fire death toll in WWI. After the war, Patterson remained active in antisubmarine patrols until the disbandment of her group in November 1918. She was decommissioned and transferred to the Coast Guard in 1924, serving on the Rum Patrol during Prohibition. She returned to Navy control in 1930, was struck from the register in 1933, and her hulk was sold for scrapping in 1934, marking the end of her maritime service.

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