Owera, a 426 gross ton steam yacht, was built at Leith, Scotland, in 1907. Taken over by the U.S. Navy during World War I, she was commissioned as USS Owera (SP-167) in June 1917. For more than a year, she operated in the Long Island Sound area on patrol, target towing and other submarine support duties. Owera went to the Delaware Bay region in October 1918 and spent her final weeks of active service there. She was decommissioned and returned to her owner in January 1919.