New England was built in 1897 as a commercial tug of the same name by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company at Quincy, Massachusetts. On 23 October 1917, the U.S. Navy chartered her from her owner, the New England Steamship Company of New York City, for use during World War I. She was commissioned as USS New England on 24 October 1917; sources differ on whether or not she was commissioned with the section patrol number SP-1222 or the naval registry identification number 1222 (ID-1222), and it possible that she originally was designated SP-1222 and later was redesignated ID-1222 because of her lack of patrol responsibilities.