 On 1 May 1917, her owner, F. F. Fields of Brockton, Massachusetts, loaned her to the U.S. Navy for use as a section patrol boat during World War I.She was commissioned as USS "Scarpe" (SP-713) the same day with Ensign B. C. Watson, USNRF, in command.Assigned to the 1st Naval District in northern New England, "Scarpe" served on patrol duty for the rest of World War I and for a short time after its conclusion.