USS Aramis (SP-418/PY-7) was a yacht acquired by the United States Navy during World War I which served as a patrol boat off New York City, was then fitted with an experimental "underwater detection system" and depth charges as an anti-submarine vessel, and was briefly the flagship of a battleship squadron. She ended her career as a tender and houseboat to a survey vessel off the coast of Cuba, until disposed of in 1933. Construction Aramis was a steel-hulled yacht designed by the naval architects Swasey, Raymond, and Page. Completed in 1916 at City Island, New York, by Robert Jacob, she was built for Arthur Hudson Marks, the vice president of the Goodrich Rubber Co., of Akron, Ohio. Equipped with one of the first marine diesel engines to be installed in an American yacht, Aramis came to the Navy's notice soon after the United States entered World War I in April 1917. Service history Patrol craft The Navy acquired Aramis on 3 July, "enrolled" her six days later, and accepted her on 11 August for service at the New York Navy Yard. Assigned the designation SP-418, she was placed in commission there on 2 November 1917. The next morning, Aramis proceeded, via Fort Lafayette, to her patrol station at the mouth of New York Harbor, arriving at the net defenses that afternoon. She maintained watch there until the morning of the 5th, noting the movement of other patrol craft and, at night, sweeping the net with her searchlight every 30 minutes. After her second tour at the net defenses on the 6th and 7th, she returned to moor at the pier at the foot of 24th Street on the 8th. Returning to the nets later that day, she spotted a strange craft in a forbidden area. Aramis lowered her launch, under the command of her executive officer, Lt. (jg.) Williams, USNRF, to give chase. Ultimately, he returned with the launch Kid, its occupants arrested for an intrusion into the net area off limits to private craft. A similar incident occurred over a week later when Aramis hailed a launch that crossed the net but did not stop. On that occasion, a section patrol craft SP-1201 overtook the intruder, took her into custody, and towed her to Fort Lafayette. Underway from the ordnance pier at Sandy Hook at 11:50 on 20 November, bound for the Scotland and Ambrose Lightships, Aramis received