USS Relief (ID-2170)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

USS Relief (SP-2170/ID-2170) was a salvage tug built in 1907 by Harlan and Hollingsworth in Wilmington, Delaware. She was owned by the Merritt & Chapman Derrick & Wrecking Co., which later became Merritt-Chapman & Scott, and she worked in civilian salvage and wrecking around New York.

In 1914, Relief helped rescue the steam yacht Warrior after it ran aground near the mouth of the Magdalena River in Colombia. Relief stood by during the salvage operations and helped Tow Warrior to safety, despite heavy seas and some damage to her gear.

Relief was acquired by the U.S. Navy on August 8, 1918, and commissioned as USS Relief (SP-2170) on August 19, 1918. She served in the 3rd Naval District as a salvage and wrecking tug in the New York area during World War I. On September 27, 1918, she collided with the patrol vessel USS Williams, which was only slightly damaged. Relief left Navy service and was returned to her owners on May 14, 1919.

By 1930 she had wireless direction finding equipment, and by 1934 her call sign was WHCZ. Relief again served the Navy during World War II, from January 14, 1942, under the Bureau of Ships, while continuing to be operated by Merritt-Chapman & Scott. After the war, she returned to civilian service and was scrapped by 1953.