Audwin, a 60-foot motor boat, was built in 1911 at Morris Heights, New York, for use as a pleasure craft. She was purchased by the Navy at the end of June 1917, converted to a patrol boat and placed in commission in early November 1917 as USS Audwin (SP-451). She served in the New York area until May 1918, when she was transferred to the Great Lakes, where she operated out of Detroit, Michigan. Audwin returned to New York in November 1918 and remained in service there until late March 1919, when she was decommissioned and transferred to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.