The USS Davis (DD-65) was a Sampson-class destroyer launched on 15 August 1916 by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. She was commissioned on 5 October 1916 and served primarily in the Atlantic Fleet, operating along the U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean. As a typical destroyer of her class, she was designed for patrol, escort, and combat duties, especially during World War I. During her wartime service, USS Davis played a significant role in early American efforts against German submarines. She departed Boston on 24 April 1917 as part of the first American destroyer detachment to arrive in European waters, reaching Queenstown, Ireland, on 4 May 1917. Her duties included patrolling off Ireland’s coast and escorting merchant convoys through dangerous waters threatened by German U-boats. Notably, between 25 and 28 June 1917, she helped escort troop transports carrying the first American Expeditionary Force troops to France. A notable incident occurred on 24 February 1918, when USS Davis, along with USS Paulding and USS Trippe, engaged and inadvertently fired upon the British Royal Navy submarine HMS L2, mistaking it for a German U-boat. The engagement resulted in L2 being forced to the seabed after depth charges damaged her, but she survived the encounter. Davis also rescued survivors from torpedoed vessels and on 12 May 1918, recovered 35 crew members from the sunken German submarine U-103, turning them over to British authorities. Following the war, Davis participated in postwar escort duties, including a notable escort for President Woodrow Wilson’s arrival at Brest, France, in December 1918. She returned to the U.S. in January 1919, then operated along the U.S. coast until decommissioning in 1922. Transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard in 1926, she served as USCGC Davis (CG-21) during Prohibition, part of the Rum Patrol based in New London, Connecticut. The Coast Guard returned her to the Navy in 1933, and she was sold 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.