USS Porpoise (SP-4)

The USS Porpoise (SP-4) was a United States Navy patrol boat in commission from 1917 to 1919. A wooden-hulled motorboat, she was built in 1916 by the Matthews Boat Company at Port Clinton, Ohio, for private use. The Navy acquired her under a free lease on 23 May 1917 for World War I service.

Commissioned on 6 June 1917, the Porpoise was assigned to the 9th Naval District and performed patrol duties on the Great Lakes for the duration of the war. These duties likely included harbor patrols, security details, and potentially training exercises.

Following the armistice in November 1918, the Porpoise was decommissioned on 20 January 1919. She was returned to her owner on 24 January 1919. No further record of her civilian service is readily available.