The first USS Sturdy (SP-82) was a patrol boat acquired by the U.S. Navy for the task of patrolling the coastal waters of the U.S. East Coast during World War I. Her primary task was to guard the coastal area against German submarines by tending to antisubmarine nets in New York harbor. Sturdy (SP-82) was built in 1905 by the New York Yacht, Launch, and Engine Company, Morris Heights, New York. The motor boat was acquired by the Navy on 25 May 1917 from J. A. Nickelson of Morris Heights, and was commissioned on 25 June 1917.