USS Favorite
U.S. tugboat used in WW1 and WW2
USS Favorite (SP-1385/ID-1385/IX-45) was a large 1,223 gross register tons (GRT) tugboat (later converted into a seagoing tug) acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I. She performed a variety of work for the navy, including icebreaking, salvage, wrecking, and tugboat services. She was loaned to Panamanian authorities after World War I, but was returned to the U.S. Navy to do her part in the Panama Canal area during World War II as the IX-45.
A tugboat built in Buffalo
Favorite (No. 1385), a tug, was completed at Buffalo, New York, in 1907. In 1915, while still under the ownership of the Great Lakes Towing and Wrecking Company, the "Favorite" helped to salvage the SS Eastland. In the summer of 1916, the Favorite was used in a failed salvage attempt of the wreck of the SS Charles S. Price. It was purchased by the Navy on 23 January 1918 and commissioned on 1 February as USS Favorite (ID # 1385).
World War I service
The ship performed icebreaker duty off the coast of Maine until March, when she was refitted for overseas service as a salvage and wrecking ship. The Favorite arrived at Brest, France, in August 1918 and was used to search for sunken ships and lost material, as well as to salvage and assist grounded ships including the USS Narragansett which went aground on 31 January 1919 off the Isle of Wight. The Favorite 's commanding officer, Lieutenant Nathan E. Cook received a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for the salvage of the Narragansett.
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