Nellie Jackson, a 55-foot two-masted schooner, was built in Maryland in 1896. Operated prior to World War I by the Maryland State Conservation Commission, she was acquired by the Navy in August 1917 and commissioned as USS Nellie Jackson (SP-1459). She performed patrol duties for the rest of the conflict, presumably in the Chesapeake Bay area. No longer needed after the Armistice, the schooner was returned to her owner in late November 1918.