Sovereign, a 173 gross ton high-speed (29 mph) steam yacht, was built at Morris Heights, New York, as a pleasure and commuting vessel. Though registered for possible national defence service prior to the U.S. entry into World War I, she was not taken over by the Navy until June 1918. Commissioned as USS Sovereign (SP-170), she operated on patrol service in the New York area for the rest of the conflict and during the first months of the post-war era. The yacht was returned to her owner in April 1919.