The USS Chinook (SP-644) was a yacht acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I for use as a patrol vessel. The ship was built in 1898 as the private yacht Vamoose and was later renamed Chinook. It was commissioned into the Navy in 1917 and served as a patrol boat along the U.S. East Coast during the war. The vessel was armed with a single 3-inch gun and depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. After the war, the USS Chinook was decommissioned and returned to its original owner. The ship's subsequent history is unclear, and it is believed to have been scrapped or sunk at a later date. The USS Chinook's service during World War I as a patrol vessel highlights the Navy's use of civilian vessels for military purposes during times of conflict.

This description has been generated using GPT-3.5-TURBO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.