.JPG) USSNew York (ACR-2), off New York City during the victory fleet review, August 1898. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | New York |
| Builders | William Cramp & Sons,Philadelphia |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | USS Maine (ACR-1) |
| Succeeded by | USS Brooklyn (ACR-3) |
| Built | 1890–1893 |
| In commission | 1893–1938 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Lost | 1 |
| History | |
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Ordered | 7 September 1888 |
| Awarded | 28 August 1890 |
| Builder | William Cramp & Sons,Philadelphia |
| Cost | $2,985,000 (contract price of hull and machinery)($96,773,700 in 2022 $US) |
| Yard number | 268 |
| Laid down | 30 September 1890 |
| Launched | 2 December 1891 |
| Sponsored by | Miss Helen Page |
| Commissioned | 1 August 1893 |
| Decommissioned | 29 April 1933 |
| Renamed |
|
| Reclassified | CA-2, 17 July 1920 |
| Stricken | 28 October 1938 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scuttled 24 December 1941,Subic Bay,Philippines, wreck remains in place |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Armored cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 64 ft 10 in (19.76 m) |
| Draft | 23 ft 3 in (7.09 m) (mean) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 ×screws |
| Speed | |
| Complement | 53 officers, 422 enlisted, 40Marines |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| General characteristics (1909)[1][2] | |
| Installed power | 12 ×Babcock & Wilcox boilers |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| General characteristics (1919)[2][3] | |
| Complement | 73 officers, 511 enlisted, 64 Marines |
| Armament |
|
USSNew York (hull numberACR-2/CA-2) was the secondUnited States Navyarmored cruiser so designated; the first was the ill-fatedMaine, which was soon redesignated a second-classbattleship. Due to the unusually protracted construction ofMaine,New York was actually the first armored cruiser to enter U.S. Navy service. The fourth Navy ship to be named in honor of the state ofNew York, she was later renamedSaratoga and thenRochester. With six 8-inch guns, she was the most heavily armed cruiser in the US Navy when commissioned.[2][4]
She was laid down on 19 September 1890 byWilliam Cramp & Sons,Philadelphia, launched on 2 December 1891, and sponsored by Miss Helen Clifford Page,[5] the daughter of J. Seaver Page, the secretary of theUnion League Club of New York.[6]New York was commissioned 1 August 1893, CaptainJohn Philip in command.[5]
In 1888, during the50th Congress, 3.5 million dollars was authorized for the construction ofNew York.[6] She was designed by theNavy Department.[4] On 28 August 1890, the contract for her construction was awarded to William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia.
New York as built had a main armament of six8 in (203 mm)/35caliber Mark 3breech-loading rifles in two twin Mark 5 turrets fore and aft and two open single Mark 3 and/or Mark 4 mounts on the sides.[7] Secondary armament was twelve4 in (102 mm)/40 caliberrapid fire (RF) guns insponsons along the sides, along with eight6-pounder (57 mm (2.2 in))Driggs-Schroeder RF guns, four1-pounder (37 mm (1.5 in)) Driggs-Schroeder RF guns, and three 14 in (356 mm)torpedo tubes forHowell torpedoes.[2][4][8]
New York, as an armored cruiser, had good protection. The belt was 4 in (102 mm) thick and 9 ft (2.7 m) deep, of which 4 ft (1.2 m) was below thewaterline. It was 186 ft (57 m) long, protecting only the machinery spaces.[2][8] The armored deck was 6 in (152 mm) thick on its sloped sides and 3 in (76 mm) in the flat middle amidships, but only2+1⁄2 in (64 mm) at the ends.[2][8] The original gun turrets had up to5+1⁄2 in (140 mm) of armor, on 10 in (254 mm)barbettes with 5 in (127 mm) protecting the ammunition hoists.[2][8] The open single 8-inch mounts on the sides were much less protected by 2 in (51 mm) partial barbettes, while the secondary gunsponsons had 4 in (102 mm). Theconning tower was7+1⁄2 in (191 mm) thick.[2][8] During construction, the builder reconfiguredNew York's boiler arrangement for tighter compartmentation.[8]
New York was a fast armored cruiser with a powerful armament, but the belt armor was thin compared to the first generation of older, slow armored cruisers, which tended to have a thick but narrow-coverage (waterline) belt. The thin side armor was comparable to that of the groundbreaking French armored cruiserDupuy de Lôme, but the French ship's armor covered a much greater area of the hull.[9][10]New York had a greater number of heavy guns than the French cruiser. The hull protection of both ships was superior to their main rival, the BritishBlake class, which were the largest cruisers at the time but had no side armor.[11] The British had switched from building armored cruisers to favor very large, first classprotected cruisers, and stuck with this policy until after theDiadem class.
Along with having competitive weapons and armor,New York was intended to be relatively fast at 20knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), and achieved 21knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) on trials. This was achieved with fourtriple-expansion engines totaling 16,000 ihp (12,000 kW), two clutched in tandem on each of two shafts.[8] The forward engines could be disconnected to conserve fuel at an economical cruising speed. In the US Navy, onlyBrooklyn shared this feature, which proved something of a liability in theBattle of Santiago de Cuba when both ships were operating with the forward engines disconnected and did not have time to reconnect them, thus limiting their speed.[12] As built, eight coal-fired cylindricalboilers supplied 160 psi (1,100 kPa) steam to the engines.[2][8]
New York underwent an extensive refit in 1905–1909. Her main guns and turrets were replaced with four8 in (203 mm)/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in new Mark 12 turrets.[13] The new turrets and barbettes had improvedKrupp cemented armor, with up to6+1⁄2 in (165 mm) on the turrets and 6 in (152 mm)-4 in (102 mm) on the barbettes.[2] The side 8-inch guns and torpedo tubes were removed. The secondary armament was replaced as well, with ten5 in (127 mm)/50 caliber Mark 6 guns and eight3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber guns. She also received twelveBabcock & Wilcox boilers and the funnels were extended to improvenatural draft through the boilers.[2] A further refit during World War I removed two 5-inch and all of the 3-inch single-purpose guns, adding two 3 in (76 mm)/50anti-aircraft guns. In 1927 her boilers were reduced to four with two funnels, leaving only 7,700 ihp (5,700 kW).[2][4]
In July 1893New York performedsea trials using theFive Fathom Bank light station and theNorth East End light station as markers, achieving 21.0knots (38.9 km/h; 24.2 mph) with 17,401 ihp (12,976 kW) at a displacement of 8,480 tons; at the time she was said to be the fastest armored vessel in the world.[2][8][14] On 1 August 1893New York was commissioned at Philadelphia,CaptainJohn Philip in command.[5] After completion, she was accepted by the Navy and left Cramp shipyards on 6 September for theLeague Island Navy Yard to load stores.[15]
Assigned to theSouth Atlantic Squadron,New York departedNew York Harbor on 27 December 1893 forRio de Janeiro, Brazil. Arriving at Taipu Beach in January 1894, she remained there until heading home on 23 March, via Nicaragua and theWest Indies. Transferred to theNorth Atlantic Squadron in August, the cruiser returned to West Indian waters for winter exercises and was commended for her aid during a fire that threatened to destroyPort of Spain,Trinidad.[5]
Returning to New York,New York joined theEuropean Squadron in 1895, and steamed toKiel, where she represented the United States at the opening of theKiel Canal. Rejoining the North Atlantic Squadron, she operated offFort Monroe,Charleston, and New York through 1897.[5]
New York departed Fort Monroe on 17 January 1898 forKey West. After the declaration of theSpanish–American War in April, she steamed to Cuba and bombarded the defenses atMatanzas before joining other American ships atSan Juan in May, seeking the Spanish squadron. Not finding them, they bombardedCastillo San Felipe del Morro at San Juan (12 May) before withdrawing.New York then becameflagship ofAdmiralWilliam T. Sampson's squadron, as the American commander planned the campaign againstSantiago. However,New York was taking Admiral Sampson to a meeting with Major GeneralWilliam Shafter when the Spanish fleet made its breakout attempt, some of her engines were disconnected which reduced her speed, and she was only able to participate in the closing phases of the battle.[12][16][17] TheBattle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July resulted in complete destruction of the Spanish fleet.[5]
The cruiser sailed for New York on 14 August to receive a warrior's welcome. The next year, she cruised with various statenaval militia units to Cuba,Bermuda, Honduras, and Venezuela, and conducted summer tactical operations offNew England. On 17 October 1899, she departed New York for Central and South American trouble areas.[5]
New York was transferred to theAsiatic Fleet in 1901, sailing viaGibraltar,Port Said, and Singapore toCavite, where she became flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. She steamed toYokohama in July for the unveiling of the memorial to thePerry Expedition. In October,New York visitedSamar and other Philippine islands as part of thecampaign against insurgents. On 13 March 1902, she got underway forHong Kong and other Chinese ports. In September, she visitedVladivostok, Russia, then stopped atKorea before returning to San Francisco in November. In 1903,New York transferred to thePacific Squadron and cruised with it toAmpala, Honduras in February to protect American interests during turbulence there. Steaming viaMagdalena Bay, Mexico, the cruiser returned to San Francisco, for a reception for PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. In 1904,New York joined squadron cruises off Panama and Peru, then reported toPuget Sound in June where she became flagship of the Pacific Squadron. In September, she enforced the President's neutrality order during theRusso-Japanese War.New York was atValparaíso, Chile from 21 December 1904 – 4 January 1905, then sailed toBoston and decommissioned on 31 March for modernization.[5]
Recommissioning on 15 May 1909,New York departed Boston on 25 June forAlgiers andNaples, where she joined theArmored Cruiser Squadron on 10 July and sailed with it for home on the 23rd. Operating out of Atlantic and gulf ports for the next year, she went into fleet reserve on 31 December.[5]
In full commission again on 1 April 1910,New York steamed via Gibraltar, Port Said, and Singapore to join theAsiatic Fleet atManila on 6 August. While stationed in Asiatic waters, she cruised among the Philippine Islands, and ports in China and Japan.[5]
She was renamedSaratoga on 16 February 1911, to make the name "New York" available for the battleshipNew York (BB-34).[5]
The cruiser spent the next five years in the Far East. Steaming toBremerton, Washington on 6 February 1916,Saratoga went into reduced commission with thePacific Reserve Fleet.[5]
As the U.S. drew closer to participation in World War I,Saratoga commissioned in full on 23 April 1917, and joined thePacific Patrol Force on 7 June. In September,Saratoga steamed to Mexico to counter enemy activity in the troubled country. AtEnsenada,Saratoga intercepted and helped to capture a merchantman transporting 32 German agents and several Americans seeking to avoid the draft law.[5]
In November, she transited thePanama Canal, joining theCruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet atHampton Roads. Here, she was renamedRochester on 1 December 1917, to free the name "Saratoga" for the newbattlecruiserSaratoga (CC-3) (eventually theaircraft carrierCV-3).[5]
After escorting aconvoy to France,Rochester commenced target and defense instruction of armed guard crews, inChesapeake Bay. In March 1918, she resumed escorting convoys and continued the duty through the end of the war, withAlfred Walton Hinds in command. On her third trip, with convoyHM-58, aU-boat torpedoed the British steamerAtlantian on 9 June.Rochester sped to her aid, butAtlantian sank within five minutes. Other ships closed in, but the submarine was not seen again.[5]
After the Armistice,Rochester served as a transport bringing troops home. In May 1919, she served as flagship of the destroyer squadron guarding the transatlantic flight of the Navy'sCurtiss NCseaplanes. On 17 July 1920 she was redesignated with thehull numberCA-2 (heavy cruiser) as part of a fleetwide redesignation plan.[18] In the early 1920s, she operated along the east coast.[5]
Early in 1923,Rochester got underway forGuantánamo Bay to begin another period of service off the coasts of Central and South America.[5]
In the summer of 1925,Rochester carriedGeneralJohn J. Pershing and other members of his commission toArica, Chile to arbitrate theTacna-Arica dispute and remained there for the rest of the year. In September 1926, she helped bring peace to turbulent Nicaragua and from time to time returned there in the late 1920s.[5]
After a quiet 1927,Rochester relieved thegunboatTulsa atCorinto in 1928 as Expeditionary Forces directed efforts against bandits in the area. Disturbances boiled over in Haiti in 1929, and opposition to the government was strong; inasmuch as American lives were endangered,Rochester transported the1st Marine Brigade toPort-au-Prince andCap-Haïtien. In 1930,Rochester transported the five-man commission sent to investigate the situation. In March, she returned to the area to embark marines and transported them to the U.S. She aidedContinental Oil tankerH. W. Bruce, damaged in a collision on 24 May.[5]
In 1931, anearthquake rocked Nicaragua.Rochester was the first relief ship to arrive on the scene and ferried refugees from the area. Bandits took advantage of the chaotic conditions andRochester steamed to the area to counter their activities.[5]
Rochester departedBalboa on 25 February 1932 for service in the Pacific Fleet. She arrivedShanghai on 27 April, to join the fleet in theYangtze River in June and remained there until steaming to Cavite, to decommission on 29 April 1933. She would remain moored at theOlongapo Shipyard atSubic Bay for the next eight years, serving as workshop and storage ship. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 28 October 1938, and she wasscuttled on 24 December 1941 to prevent her capture by the Japanese.[5][19]
Sampson Medal
Spanish Campaign Medal
Philippine Campaign Medal
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal
Yangtze Service Medal| Wreck of USSRochester | |
|---|---|
.svg)  | |
| Location | Zambales,Philippines |
| Waterbody | Subic Bay |
| Coordinates | 14°48′18″N120°16′46″E / 14.80500°N 120.27944°E /14.80500; 120.27944 |
| Dive type | Open-water,Deep,Wreck |
| Depth range | 55 to 100 ft (17 to 30 m) |
| Average visibility | 5 to 20 m (16 to 66 ft) |
| Entry type | Boat |
| Bottom composition | Metal, coral, silt |
Since being scuttled,Rochester has been transformed into anartificial reef and is popular with divers given its somewhat shallow depth of 59–88 ft (18–27 m), ease of access, and proximity to other wrecks. There is minimal damage to the vessel when it was scuttled and the wreck is relatively intact.
From 11 July 1967 to 20 July 1967 Harbor Clearance Team Four and Yard Light Lift Craft Two attached toHarbor Clearance Unit One conducted demolition as the U.S. Navy decided to try to flatten the wreck. Large charges were used on the central hull and these resulted in extensive damage around the midsection. This lowered the wreck; enabling deep draft tankers to approach and moor to the POL buoy planned for Subic Bay (at the same time, Navy divers helped to clear more than 650 wrecks from Manila bay).[citation needed]
In 2001, two divers, a Hong Kong national and his American instructor, died while exploring the wreck.[20]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
