The USS Noma (SP-131) was a large private steam yacht built in 1902 by the Burlee Dry Dock Company on Staten Island, New York. Designed by Tams, Lemoine & Crane, the vessel was constructed for William Bateman Leeds, a prominent industrialist known as the "Tin Plate King." The yacht measured approximately 70.2 meters (230.3 feet) in length (pp) and had an overall length of about 80.0 meters (262.5 feet), with a beam of 8.7 meters (28.5 feet) and a draught of 4.7 meters (15.4 feet). She displaced 763 GRT and was powered by two 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, also built by Burlee Dry Dock, which produced 518 nhp. These engines drove twin screws, enabling the yacht to reach speeds of up to 19 knots. Originally launched on 11 February 1902, Noma was designed as a luxurious private vessel. After Leeds’s death in 1908, the yacht changed ownership several times, including brief ownership by John Jacob Astor IV and subsequently his son, Vincent Astor. During World War I, the U.S. Navy loaned Noma, which was commissioned as USS Noma (SP–131) on 10 May 1917. She was outfitted with military armaments and served in the North Atlantic, operating as a patrol craft. Her duties included convoy escort, patrolling submarine danger zones, and engaging German U-boats. Notable combat events involved attacking submarines, rescuing crew from the British Q-ship HMS Dunraven, and participating in convoy operations along the European coast. She was credited with significant anti-submarine efforts, including depth charging U-boats and engaging in gun duels. After the war, Noma served with the American Relief Commission in Constantinople, supporting operations in the Black Sea and nearby ports from early 1919 until her return to the U.S. in July 1919. She was decommissioned and returned to her owner, Vincent Astor, who sold her to Rodman Wanamaker. Subsequently, Noma was extensively overhauled and converted into a salvage tug in the 1930s, renamed Vega, and later Salvatore Primo under Italian ownership. She was requisitioned by the Italian Navy during World War II but was torpedoed and sunk in 1943 near Sardinia, after having been damaged and repaired earlier during the war. This vessel’s varied service history highlights her significance as a luxurious private yacht, a wartime patrol vessel, and a salvage tug, reflecting the versatility and enduring maritime utility of early 20th-century steam yachts.

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