USS Smith (DD-17) - World War I

World War I

With war imminent, Smith was ordered on 1 April 1917 to anchor in the North River, New York to assist the Collector of Customs in preventing the German ships at New York from escaping or destroying themselves. She departed New York on 4 April and operated with the Patrol Force along the East Coast from 10 April-14 May. On 17 April, she reported sighting a submarine which submerged, and then saw a torpedo wake cross her bow; however, neither inflicted damage on the other. Smith underwent overhaul at the Charleston Navy Yard from 17 May-16 July, during which time she prepared for distant service.

Smith departed Charleston, South Carolina on 16 July, and after a stop at Bermuda from 18-20 July and three months of patrols in the Azores from 26 July-5 October, she arrived at Brest, France on 20 October. For the remainder of the war, Smith escorted eastbound and westbound convoys through the submarine danger area extending about 500 mi (800 km) to the westward of Brest. Her escort missions were largely uneventful and, despite several sightings of suspected submarines, she made no confirmed kills. She was called upon twice, however, to rescue survivors of torpedoed transports. On 31 May 1918, she rescued 240 men from President Lincoln, and, while carrying them into port, unsuccessfully attacked a submarine on 1 June. On 1 July, she rescued survivors from Covington while other destroyers circled the two ships at high speed to deter submarine attack.