The USC&GS Isis was a steel-hulled survey vessel originally built as a private yacht, launched on December 10, 1901, by Marvel's Yard at Newburgh, New York. She was completed in 1902 after being fitted out at Fletcher's Shipyard in Hoboken, New Jersey. The vessel measured 180.4 feet in length, with a beam of 24.8 feet and a draft of 11.7 feet. She displaced approximately 377 gross tons and 256 net tons. Powered by an indicated horsepower of 2,000, Isis could reach speeds of up to 16 knots. Her propulsion system supported a capacity for 120 tons of coal, and she was crewed by eight officers and forty-four men. Initially serving as a private yacht for William S. and John T. Spaulding of Boston, Isis was used for leisure cruises, including voyages to the Mediterranean and Adriatic. The Spaulding family’s residence was at 99 Beacon Street in Boston, with a country estate called Sunset Rock at Prides Crossing overlooking the anchorage used by the yacht. The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey acquired Isis on July 1, 1915, transforming her into a survey ship operating along the U.S. East Coast. During her service, she also ferried dignitaries, including Ernest Lester Jones, the director of the survey. Isis was noted for assisting mariners in distress on multiple occasions, such as helping the launch North Star in Charleston Harbor (1916), aiding the yacht Soncy during a waterfront fire in Savannah (1917), and helping extinguish a fire on the schooner Rosalie Mahoney in Florida (1917). In September 1917, Isis was transferred to the U.S. Navy for World War I service, commissioned as USS Isis. She served as the flagship of Squadron 2 Cruiser Force, based out of Staten Island and later Norfolk, until her decommissioning on April 30, 1919. After the war, she resumed her survey duties but met her end on January 20, 1920, when she sank off Crescent Beach, Florida, after striking a submerged obstruction while conducting soundings. The vessel's service history highlights her dual roles in hydrographic surveying and maritime support during her notable career.

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