The USS Mary B. Garner (SP-682) was a United States Navy minesweeper that served during World War I from 1917 to 1919. Originally built as a commercial fishing vessel in 1912 by the William E.. Woodall Company in Baltimore, Maryland, she was later acquired by the U.S. Navy on 30 April 1917 from the Coast Fish Oil and Guano Company of Lewes, Delaware. The vessel was designated with the section patrol number 682 and commissioned on 12 May 1917. Constructed for commercial purposes, the Mary B. Garner was repurposed for military use as a minesweeper, a vital role in ensuring safe navigation in wartime waters. She was assigned to the Minesweeping Squadron of the 4th Naval District and based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her operational duties included minesweeping in the rivers, harbors, and coastal waters of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland, contributing to the security of Allied maritime traffic. Notably, on 11 April 1918, she ran aground and was wrecked at Prime Hook Beach, Delaware, resulting in the loss of one crew member. Despite this accident, she was salvaged and repaired, allowing her to continue her minesweeping duties throughout the remainder of the war. Her service was crucial in maintaining safe waterways during a period of heightened naval activity. The USS Mary B. Garner was decommissioned at Philadelphia on 15 May 1919, marking the end of her wartime service. Her transition from a commercial fishing vessel to a naval minesweeper exemplifies the wartime adaptation of civilian ships, and her operational history reflects the importance of minesweeping operations in maintaining maritime security during World War I.

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