Catherine Johnson was built as the commercial steam freight lighter Edith B. in 1913. She had been renamed Catherine Johnson by the time the U.S. Navy inspected her in 1917 for possible naval use during World War I and assigned her the section patrol number SP-390. The Navy eventually purchased her and placed her in service as USS Catherine Johnson (SP-390) on 15 June 1918. On 19 November 1930, YF-161 was placed out of service. At about the same time, she was reclassified as an "open lighter, non-self-propelled" (YC) and renamed USS YC-660. YC-660 was sold on 29 September 1932.