The USS Biddle (Torpedo Boat No. 26), later designated as Coast Torpedo Boat No. 12, was a United States Navy torpedo boat launched on May 18, 1901, by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. She was named in honor of Captain Nicholas Biddle. The vessel was sponsored by Miss Emily B. Biddle, a descendant of Captain Biddle, and was commissioned on October 26, 1901, under the command of Lieutenant S. S. Robison. Constructed as a small, fast naval craft, the USS Biddle served primarily along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies. Her early service involved initial deployments from Newport, Rhode Island, to Port Royal, South Carolina, where she entered reserve shortly after her commissioning. She was recommissioned in May 1902 and participated in cruising operations with the Torpedo Boat Flotilla until January 1903, after which she again entered reserve status at Norfolk Navy Yard. Her service life included periodic reactivations, notably in 1909 and 1911, when she cruised with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet and the Reserve Flotilla Division, respectively. Throughout her career, the Biddle primarily served in patrol and training capacities, including a stint serving with the Pennsylvania Naval Militia in mid-1915. After her final recommissioning in April 1917, amid World War I, she operated as a patrol and dispatch vessel out of Norfolk, Virginia, within the 5th Naval District. On August 1, 1918, she was renamed Coast Torpedo Boat No. 12, reflecting her status within the evolving naval fleet. Decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on March 12, 1919, the USS Biddle was sold on July 19, 1920. Her service exemplifies the early 20th-century role of small, agile torpedo ships in U.S. naval operations, primarily in patrol, training, and reserve duties during a period of significant technological and strategic transition in 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.