USS Roper (DD-147)

USS Roper (DD-147)

USS Roper (DD-147) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, later converted to a high-speed transport and redesignated APD-20.

She was named for Lieutenant Commander Jesse M. Roper, commanding officer of Petrel, who died during the Spanish-American War while rescuing his crew.

Her keel was laid down on 19 March 1918 by William Cramp & Sons, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was launched on 17 August 1918 sponsored by Mrs. Jesse M. Roper, widow of Lieutenant Commander Roper, and commissioned on 15 February 1919 with Commander Abram Claude in command. Roper was the first United States Navy warship to sink a German submarine during World War II.