Buck was built as a civilian motorboat in 1911. On 24 August 1917, the U.S. Navy acquired her under a free lease from the Conservation Commission of Maryland for use during World War I. She was commissioned as USS Buck (SP-1355) on 13 September 1917. Assigned to the 5th Naval District, Buck served as a tender at Norfolk, Virginia, for the remainder of World War I. She was renamed USS SP-1355 in April 1918. SP-1355 was decommissioned late in 1918. The Navy returned her to Conservation Commission of Maryland on either 24 September 1918 or 27 November 1918.