(DD-173: dp. 1,191; l. 310', b. 30'11"; dr 9'2" s. 33+ k.; cpl. 122; a. 4 4", 2 3", 12 21" tt.; cl Wickes)

The first Sproston (DD-173) was laid down on 20 April 1918 by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, Calif.; launched on 10 August 1918; sponsored by Mrs. George J. Dennis; and commissioned on 12 July 1919.

Sproston sailed to Hawaii and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet in the fall of 1919. On 17 July 1920, the ship was reclassified from a destroyer to a Light Minelayer (DM-13) and continued operating at Pearl Harbor until 1922. On 15 August 1922, Sproston was decommissioned there and attached to the reserve fleet. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1936 and sunk as a target.