USS Chicago (1885)

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The first USS Chicago (later CA-14) was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy, the largest of the original three authorized by Congress for the "New Navy" and one of the U.S. Navy's first four steel ships.

Design

Chicago was ordered as one of the "ABCD" ships, the others being the protected cruisers Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". and Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". and the dispatch vessel Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities".. These were the first steel-hulled ships of the "New Navy."

Chicago was built with a displacement of Script error: No such module "convert". at an overall length of Script error: No such module "convert". and Script error: No such module "convert". at the perpendiculars. Her beam was Script error: No such module "convert". with a draft of Script error: No such module "convert".. She had fourteen 100psi boilers that ran two compound overhead beam steam engines that producing Script error: No such module "convert". to turn her two screws and achieve a speed of Script error: No such module "convert".. Chicago was capable of carrying Script error: No such module "convert". of coal.[1] Like the other "ABCD" ships, Chicago — rigged as a bark — was built with a sail rig to increase her cruising range.

ChicagoTemplate:'s original armament consisted of four Script error: No such module "convert"./30 caliber Mark 2 guns,[2] eight Script error: No such module "convert"./30 caliber Mark 2 guns, two Script error: No such module "convert"./31 caliber Mark 1 guns,[3] two 6-pounder Script error: No such module "convert". guns, four 3-pounder Script error: No such module "convert". guns, two 1-pounder Script error: No such module "convert". Hotchkiss revolver cannon, and two .45 caliber (11.4 mm) Gatling guns.

She had Script error: No such module "convert". of armor on her gun shields, Script error: No such module "convert". on her deck, and Script error: No such module "convert". on her conning tower.[4]

Construction and commissioning

All four "ABCD" ships were ordered from the same shipyard, John Roach & Sons of Chester, Pennsylvania. However, when United States Secretary of the Navy William C. Whitney initially refused to accept Dolphin, claiming her design was defective, the Roach yard went bankrupt and ChicagoTemplate:'s completion was delayed for about three years while the Roach yard reorganized as the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works.[5][1]

Chicago was launched at Chester on 5 December 1885 at the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, sponsored by Edith Cleborne, the daughter of U.S. Navy Medical Director Cuthbert J. Cleborne. Chicago was commissioned on 17 April 1889.

Rebuilds and refits

Between 1895 and 1899 Chicago was refitted at the New York Navy Yard, with her main batteries replaced by four new Script error: No such module "convert"./35 caliber Mark 4 guns,[6] and with all secondary 6-inch and 5-inch guns replaced by fourteen new Script error: No such module "convert"./40 caliber Mark 3 guns.[7] She had her sails removed, boilers replaced by six Babcock & Wilcox and four cylindrical boilers, and engines replaced with two horizontal triple-expansion engines totaling Script error: No such module "convert". for Script error: No such module "convert". speed.[5][4] In 1902 she was partially reconstructed, with an extended armored deck and increased displacement of Script error: No such module "convert"..[4] In 1915 as a training ship she was rearmed with twelve Script error: No such module "convert"./40 caliber guns,[8] and in 1918 as a flagship with four Script error: No such module "convert"./51 caliber guns. In 1920, as a submarine tender at Pearl Harbor, she was disarmed.

File:U.S.S. Chicago Protective Cruiser (1885), Gun Crew, ca. 1890-1901.tif
"U.S.S. Chicago, one of the crew"

Service history

Pre-World War I

File:USS Chicago (1885) engine.jpg
Illustration of one of ChicagoTemplate:'s two original beam-propeller engines. Chicago was a twin-screw ship; a similar engine drove the screw on the other side of the vessel.

On 7 December 1889, Chicago departed Boston for Lisbon, Portugal, arriving on 21 December. The cruiser served in European and Mediterranean waters as the flagship of the Squadron of Evolution until 31 May 1890, when she sailed from Funchal, Madeira to call at Brazilian and West Indian ports before returning to New York on 29 July.

Chicago operated along the east coasts of North and South America and in the Caribbean as flagship of the Squadron of Evolution—and later as flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron—until 1893. After taking part in the International Naval Review in Hampton Roads in April, she left New York on 18 June 1893 to cruise in European and Mediterranean waters as flagship of the European station. During this period the ship was commanded by Alfred Thayer Mahan, already famous as a naval strategist. Chicago returned to New York on 20 March 1895, and was placed out of commission there on 1 May.

Recommissioned on 1 December 1898, Chicago made a short cruise in the Caribbean before sailing for the European Station on 18 April. She returned to New York on 27 September and participated in the naval parade and Dewey celebration of 2 October 1899. Chicago sailed from New York on 25 November for an extended cruise, as flagship of the South Atlantic Station until early July 1901, then as flagship of the European Station. With the squadron, she cruised in northern European, Mediterranean, and Caribbean waters until 1 August 1903, when she proceeded to Oyster Bay, New York, and the Presidential Review.

From 3 December 1903 – 15 August 1904, Chicago was out of commission at Boston undergoing repairs. After operating along the northeast coast, the cruiser departed Newport News on 17 November for Valparaíso, Chile, arriving on 28 December. There, on 1 January 1905, she relieved the armored cruiser Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". as flagship of the Pacific Squadron and for three years operated off the west coasts of North and South America, in the Caribbean, and to Hawaii. In 1906, she played a key role in the evacuation of San Francisco during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Arriving from San Diego at 6pm on 19 April, Chicago's radio allowed the city's leadership to communicate with the outside world, as telephone and telegraph lines were down.[9] A group of two officers and sixteen enlisted men from Chicago supervised waterborne evacuation efforts. The removal of 20,000 refugees to Tiburon in Marin County by this ship and numerous other vessels is said to be unparalleled and unsurpassed until the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk.[10]

File:Protective Cruiser USS Chicago's Telegraph Office.png
Protective Cruiser USS Chicago's Telegraph Office

On 8 January 1908, Chicago departed San Diego for the east coast and in May joined the Naval Academy Practice Squadron for the summer cruise along the northeast coast until 27 August, when she went into reserve. Chicago was recommissioned the next summer (14 May – 28 August 1909) to operate with the Practice Squadron along the east coast, then returned to Annapolis. On 4 January 1910, she left the Academy for Boston, arriving on 23 January. She then served "in commission in reserve" with the Massachusetts Naval Militia until 12 April 1916, and with the Naval Force of Pennsylvania from 26 April 1916 – April 1917.

World War I and beyond

On 6 April 1917, Chicago was placed in full commission at Philadelphia and reported to Submarine Force, Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) as flagship at New London, Connecticut, commanded by future Admiral Thomas C. Hart.[11] On 10 July 1919, she departed New York to join Cruiser Division 2 (CruDiv 2), as flagship in the Pacific. She was reclassified CA-14 in 1920 and then CL-14 in 1921. From December 1919 – September 1923, she served with SubDiv 14 and as tender at the Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor.

Chicago was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on 30 September 1923 and served as a receiving ship at Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor until 1935. On 16 July 1928 she was renamed Alton to free the name Chicago for the heavy cruiser Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". and was reclassified as an "unclassified miscellaneous unit" (IX-5).

Alton was sold on 15 May 1936. She foundered in mid-Pacific on 8 July 1936 while being towed from Honolulu to San Francisco for delivery to her buyers.[12]

Gallery

References

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  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ DiGiulian, Tony, US 8"/30 guns at Navweaps.com
  3. ↑ DiGiulian, Tony, US 5"/31 guns at Navweaps.com
  4. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ DiGiulian, Tony, US 8"/35 and 8"/40 guns at Navweaps.com
  7. ↑ DiGiulian, Tony, US 5"/40 guns at Navweaps.com
  8. ↑ DiGiulian, Tony, US 4"/40 guns at Navweaps.com
  9. ↑ US National Archives, Prologue Magazine, Spring 2006, Vol. 38, No. 1, When an American City is Destroyed
  10. ↑ Timeline of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire – 1906
  11. ↑ Biography of Thomas C. Hart at Naval History and Heritage Command
  12. ↑ Chesneau, Roger, and Eugene M. Kolesnik, eds., Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1860-1905, New York: Mayflower Books, 1979, Template:ISBN, p. 150.

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Bibliography

External links

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Template:Squadron of Evolution Template:WWI US ships Template:1936 shipwrecks [[Category:Template:Resolve category redirect]]Template:Coord missing/CheckCat

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