Lynx, a 45-foot motor boat, was built at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1916 for a patriotic local citizen who intended to use her for volunteer patrol service in connection with the Navy's preparedness program. The Navy purchased her in April 1917 and placed her in commission in July of that year as USS Lynx (SP-2). She initially served in the New England area, and was transported to Europe in August. Employed there in connection with World War I Naval aviation, she was returned to the United States in March 1919 and disposed of by burning in September 1919.