Name Stranger Completed 1938 Namesake Jasper | Owner Fred E. Lewis Name Jasper Length 41 m | |
Status Acquired by the Navy 1 July 1941 Builders Lake Union Drydock Company, Seattle | ||
USS Jasper (PYc-13) was a coastal patrol yacht in the service of the United States Navy. She was named for the gemstone Jasper.
The first Jasper (PYc-13), a diesel-powered yacht, was built as Stranger by Lake Union Dry Dock Co., Seattle, Washington, in 1938; purchased 1 July 1941 from her owner, Fred E. Lewis; renamed Jasper; and placed in service at San Diego, California, 8 July 1941.
World War II service
After the installation of experimental sound and electronic equipment, Jasper was assigned to the 11th Naval District to perform research work at the Naval Sound Laboratory, San Diego. She continued this important scientific work throughout the war taking part in experiments with radio and sound waves in cooperation with the University of California, Division of War Research. Echo-ranging equipment on board Jasper was used in 1946 to discover a deep 300-mile-wide oceanic layer off the coast of California.
The ship was placed out of service 14 August 1947 at San Diego and turned over to the Maritime Commission for disposal in June 1948.