Amphitrite, a 60?-foot motor tug, was built in 1918 at Norfolk, Virginia. In May 1918 she was taken over by the Navy and subsequently placed in service as Amphitrite (ID # 3028). While serving with the Fifth Naval District in the Norfolk area, she was renamed Nerita in November 1918. Placed out of service after the end of World War I and stricken in March 1919, the tug was transferred to the War Department in March 1920.