The USS Nahma (SP-771) was a steam-powered patrol vessel built in 1897 by Clydebank Engineering & Shipbuilding Company in Glasgow, Scotland. Originally constructed as a private luxury yacht for Robert Goelet, she was a sister ship to the yacht Mayflower, which later became the U.S. Navy's USS Mayflower. Nahma measured approximately 250 feet in length, with a sleek, elegant hull typical of late 19th-century luxury yachts, designed for comfort and speed. In June 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free lease from Robert Goelet’s son, and she was commissioned as USS Nahma (SP-771) by August of that year. During World War I, Nahma served as a section patrol vessel primarily operating in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas. She was based in Gibraltar and participated in convoy escort missions, safeguarding Allied shipping routes between the U.K., Gibraltar, and across the Mediterranean. Her service included a notable and unfortunate friendly fire incident in October 1917, involving mistaken identification of Italian and British vessels as German submarines, which resulted in the sinking of the Italian submarine H6 and minor damage to H8, with casualties among H6’s crew. Following the armistice in November 1918, Nahma remained in the Mediterranean performing relief and diplomatic duties, including evacuating refugees, transporting relief supplies, and assisting non-combatants affected by regional conflicts in Russia and Turkey. She was decommissioned in July 1919 and returned to private ownership. Rechristened Istar, she transitioned from a luxury yacht to an illicit rum runner during Prohibition, smuggling Scotch whisky into the United States. Later, she was sold to various owners, including the Royal Navy and a shark-processing company. By 1931, she was laid up in South Africa, and rather than being scrapped, she was scuttled in the Indian Ocean near Durban. Her varied career reflects her versatility and maritime significance, from luxury vessel to wartime patrol ship, and later, as part of clandestine trade and industrial enterprise.

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