USS Cassin (DD-372)

Figure 1: USS Cassin (DD-372) underway in the Pacific Ocean, 15 December 1939. Photographed by O.A. Tunnell. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Cassin (DD-372) off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, 2 February 1937. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Cassin (DD-372) off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, 2 February 1937. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. USS Downes (DD-375), at left, and USS Cassin (DD-372), capsized at right, burned out and sunk in the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard dry dock on 7 December 1941, after the Japanese attack. The relatively undamaged USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) is in the background. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941. USS Cassin (DD-372) burned out and capsized against USS Downes (DD-375), in the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard dry dock on 7 December 1941, after the Japanese attack. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USS Cassin (DD-372), at left, and USS Downes (DD-375) under salvage in Dry Dock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 23 January 1942. They had been wrecked during the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. Photographed from the foremast of USS Raleigh (CL-7), which was undergoing battle damage repairs in the drydock. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Cassin (DD-372) in dry dock at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 23 January 1942, while under salvage. She was burned out and capsized in the dry dock during the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: USS Cassin (DD-372), at right, capsized, and USS Downes (DD-375) under salvage in Dry Dock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 27 January 1942. They had been wrecked during the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. Also in the dry dock is USS Raleigh (CL-7), which was under repair for torpedo damage received on 7 December. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: USS Cassin (DD-372) (capsized, right) and USS Downes (DD-375) (left) in Dry Dock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 4 February 1942, while under salvage. Both destroyers had been wrecked in the dry dock during the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In the background, also in Dry Dock Number One, is USS Raleigh (CL-7), being repaired for torpedo damage received in the Japanese attack. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: USS Cassin (DD-372), at right, and USS Downes (DD-375) under salvage in Dry Dock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard on 5 February 1942, the day Cassin was righted from her previous position capsized against Downes. They had been wrecked during the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid. Also in the dry dock is USS Raleigh (CL-7), which was being repaired for torpedo damage received on 7 December. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: USS Cassin (DD-372) leaves the dry dock at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, 18 February 1942, following salvage. She had been massively damaged during the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the Collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 12: USS Cassin (DD-372) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 26 February 1944. The ship, which had been wrecked in the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, has just completed a total reconstruction, with her original machinery and main battery installed in a new hull and superstructure. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 13: US Navy Photo 1301-44, broadside view of the new USS Cassin (DD-372) off Mare Island on 26 February 1944. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 14: US Navy Photo 1303-44, bow on view of the new USS Cassin (DD 372) departing Mare Island on 26 February 1944. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after a naval hero in the war of 1812, USS Cassin (DD-372) was a 1,500-ton Mahan class destroyer that was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, and was commissioned on 21 August 1936. The ship was approximately 341 feet long and 35 feet wide, had a top speed of 36.5 knots, and had a crew of 158 officers and men. Cassin was armed with five 5-inch guns, four 0.5-inch machine guns, 12 21-inch torpedo tubes, and depth charges.

From 1936 to 1938, Cassin was assigned to the Atlantic and the Caribbean, sometimes steaming as far south as Brazil. In early 1938, Cassin was transferred to the Pacific where she took part in numerous naval exercises. As tensions mounted between the United States and Japan, Cassin was sent to the South Pacific and went as far west as Australia.

But when Pearl Harbor was attacked on 7 December 1941, Cassin had the misfortune of being trapped in Dry Dock Number One at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. Several bombs hit the destroyer, igniting a raging inferno on board the ship. The numerous bomb hits and the fire caused Cassin to roll off her blocks inside the dry dock and she capsized against the destroyer USS Downes (DD-375), which was also in the dry dock at the time of the attack.

After the attack ended and the massive fires were extinguished, both Cassin and Downes were thought to be total losses. However, after closer examination, it was discovered that Cassin’s main battery, hull fittings, and machinery were still (remarkably) in reasonably good condition. Salvage efforts began on Cassin and all of her guns and other topside equipment were removed from the capsized ship. Her hull was patched up so that the ship could be re-floated and turned upright within the dry dock. Salvage work continued through January 1942 and into February as the dry dock was periodically flooded to bring in or remove other damaged ships. Cassin was finally righted on 5 February and floated out of the dry dock on 18 February. It was an amazing achievement considering all of the damage sustained by the destroyer. Unfortunately, Cassin’s hull was destroyed beyond repair and was scrapped in October 1942. But all of her still-usable equipment was sent to the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, for installation in a new hull.

The new hull and superstructure that carried all of the old ship’s equipment were given Cassin’s original number of DD-372. The “new” USS Cassin was commissioned in February 1944. She was assigned to escort duties in the central Pacific through the summer of 1944 and took part in the bombardment of Marcus Island in early October. Later that month during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Cassin escorted the fast carriers of Task Force 38. For the remainder of the war, Cassin operated out of the Marianas, bombarding Iwo Jima in November 1944 and January 1945. She took an active part in the battle for Iwo Jima and even managed to survive a major typhoon that struck the area in June. After her duties in the Pacific ended in August, Cassin was sent to the Atlantic later in 1945 and was decommissioned at Norfolk, Virginia, in December of that same year. She was sold for scrapping on 25 November 1947.

This is an amazing story of a ship that refused to die. Although almost demolished during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, major parts of this ship lived on to fight another day. The salvage teams at Pearl Harbor performed heroically and they proved that, given half a chance, something of value could be saved from almost any severely damaged warship. The preservation of Cassin’s original hull number also symbolized that the ship was never technically “sunk,” even though it had sustained horrific damage.

USS Elcano (PG-38)

Figure 1: USS Elcano (PG-38) somewhere in China. Courtesy U.S. Warships of World War I. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: Some of the ships of the US Navy's Yangtse River Patrol at Hangchow, China, during the 1920s, with several local junks and sampans also present. US Navy ships are (from left to right): USS Isabel (PY-10); USS Villalobos (PG-42); and USS Elcano (PG-38). Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Shark (Submarine # 8) in the Dewey Dry Dock, Olongapo Naval Station, Philippines, circa 1910. The gunboat Elcano also is in the dry dock, in the right background. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1978. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: Lieutenant Commander A. G. Winterhalter was the first commanding officer of the USS Elcano, Gunboat No. 38. Winterhalter would eventually be promoted to the rank of Four Star Admiral on 9 July 1915. On that day, he also was appointed Commander-in-Chief, US Asiatic Fleet (CINCAF). Courtesy Library of Congress, photo ggbain 21511. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: US Navy photograph of USS Elcano (PG-38), date unknown. Click on photograph for larger image.

Elcano was a 620-ton iron gunboat built in 1895 by the Carraca Arsenal at Cadiz, Spain. Spain sent her to the Philippines and she was captured by the United States during the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898. Elcano was officially turned over to the US Navy on 9 November 1898 and was outfitted at the Cavite Naval Yard, Philippines, for use as a gunboat. The ship was officially commissioned into the US Navy on 20 November 1902 as USS Elcano (Gunboat No. 38), Lieutenant Commander A.G. Winterhalter in command. Elcano was approximately 165 feet long and 26 feet wide, had a top speed of 11 knots, and had a crew of 103 officers and men. The gunboat was armed with four 4-inch guns and four 6-pounders.

Elcano left Manila on 26 December 1902 with two other ex-Spanish gunboats, Villalobos and Pompey, and arrived in Shanghai in February 1903. These three small ships officially inaugurated the US Yangtze River Patrol and their assignment was to protect American lives and property in China, as well as promote friendly relations with the Chinese. Although many small American gunboats had been sent to China in the past, this was the first time an official unit within the US Navy was created to specifically patrol the Yangtze River. Elcano remained on station in Shanghai until 20 October 1907, when she was sent back to Cavite and decommissioned on 1 November 1907.

Elcano was re-commissioned on 5 December 1910 and sent back to China in March 1911. She was based at Amoy until the start of World War I. The small gunboat was recalled to Manila in April 1917 and was assigned to patrol the waters off Mariveles and Corregidor until the war ended in November 1918. Elcano returned to Shanghai on 3 February 1920 and once again became a part of the Yangtze Patrol. On 17 July, the ship was reclassified PG-38.

For more than eight years, Elcano was an important part of the Yangtze River Patrol, fighting in numerous skirmishes with Chinese warlords and pirates. These small “incidents” were common on the Yangtze and US gunboats were called on numerous occasions to rescue American citizens as well as protect American property, consulates, and embassies. In July 1921, Elcano assisted in the landing of US Marines at Ichang and remained on station there until September 1922. She also continued operations out of Shanghai and “showed the flag” by visiting numerous ports where American citizens lived and worked. Elcano’s officers also went on shore on many occasions to confer with local officials and American consuls. Many young officers got their initial training with the Yangtze Patrol and this experience was of immense value to them later on in their careers.

During the Chinese revolution in 1926 and 1927, Elcano’s crew confronted a nation in chaos. On numerous occasions they faced dangerous situations and had to reply with just the “right” amount of force. The commanding officer of Elcano did not want to create a major international incident over a relatively minor matter, so great judgment and tact were needed when dealing with heavily armed Chinese warlords and pirates, many of whom were determined to kill and rob any foreigner they came into contact with. On several occasions, Elcano even transported refugees from deep within the interior of China and brought them back to the coast. On 24 March 1927, Elcano played a critical role in a major battle with Chinese warlords in the city of Nanking, where the American Consul General and others were besieged on Socony Hill and were eventually rescued by armed American sailors. Elcano assisted in the shelling of Chinese positions around the base of the hill, which prevented the American diplomats from being slaughtered.

In November 1927, the elderly gunboat was given a new assignment and served as the receiving ship at Shanghai for crews gathering there for duty on board new gunboats that were under construction. Elcano was decommissioned on 30 June 1928 and sunk as a target ship on 4 October of that same year.

USS Elcano had an amazing career considering the fact that she was never originally built for the US Navy. Few warships are actually captured in modern warfare and fewer still remain for many years in the navy that captured them. But Elcano gave the US Navy almost three decades of fine service and provided excellent experience for young officers and men. At the same time, she helped protect American diplomats, citizens, and property in a country that was constantly wracked by political and military turmoil. She also was one of the founding members of the Yangtze Patrol, a unit that wasn’t disbanded until shortly after America’s official entry into World War II on 7 December 1941.

USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41)

Figure 1: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) underway near her builder's yard at Houghton, Washington, on 16 May 1945. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) underway near her builder's yard at Houghton, Washington, on 16 May 1945. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) moored in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, in June 1946. Courtesy of LCDR W. H. Cressman, USN (Ret.). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) refueling a P5M seaplane of VP-44 on 24 May 1955. She is wearing the white paint of a Middle East Force flagship. Photographed by PH3 R. P. Champine, USN. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) photographed circa 1958 from a Martin P5M, whose port side wing float is visible at the top of the photo. Other P5M aircraft are parked at the seaplane base below. The small cargo ship with the heavy lift booms amidships may be USNS Col. William J. O'Brien (T-AK-246) or USNS Short Splice (T-AK-249). Note also the small unidentified structure on Greenwich Bay's after deck. The original print carried the rubber stamped date 22 May 1958 on its reverse side. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the U.S. Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) shown with awnings rigged in a photograph released in September 1965. She now has a tripod mast and a tall whip antenna right aft. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the U.S. Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) at Barcelona, Spain, in late May or early June 1961. Barcelona was the first of a series of Mediterranean ports that the ship visited in mid-1961 before transiting the Suez Canal and becoming flagship of Commander Middle East Force. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: Sailors from USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) at Valberg, France, in the French Alps in mid-1961. During a port call at Cannes, France, liberty parties visited the Alps and stopped at this restaurant for lunch. The hotel on the left is the Relais de Valberg. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: Personnel from USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) viewing the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, in mid-1961. Liberty parties from the "Green Witch" visited Rome during a port call at Civitavecchia, Italy. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: Holding swim call while at anchor off Capri, Italy, in mid-1961. The ship had just made a short port call at Naples. The use of a boat boom and a cargo net was standard practice for recreational swimming from such Navy ships. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

The USS Greenwich Bay (AVP-41) was a 1,766-ton Barnegat class small seaplane tender that was built by the Lake Washington Shipyard at Houghton, Washington, and was commissioned on 20 May 1945. The ship was approximately 311 feet long and 41 feet wide, and had a top speed of 18.6 knots and a crew of 215 officers and men. Greenwich Bay initially was armed with one 5-inch gun, one quad 40-mm gun mount, one dual 40-mm gun mount, and four 20-mm gun mounts, although most of her guns were removed later in her career.

Greenwich Bay left San Diego in August 1945, shortly after the end of hostilities in the Pacific. The ship was sent to China in October and tended seaplanes at Taku, Tsingtao, and Shanghai. In 1946, Greenwich Bay patrolled the waters off Japan and the Philippines before being sent back to the United States in May. The ship returned to America via the Mediterranean and arrived in Norfolk, Virginia, in July.

From February 1947 to June 1948, Greenwich Bay escorted the Presidential yacht Williamsburg (AGC-369, ex PG-56) and then made a round-the-world goodwill cruise, visiting ports in the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, and the south Pacific before returning to Norfolk in October 1948.

In April 1949, Greenwich Bay was assigned to a job that was to occupy most of her time throughout the rest of her career. She began serving as the flagship for the Commander, US Navy Middle East Force. During this and approximately 14 additional annual deployments, Greenwich Bay steamed throughout the Mediterranean and operated as a flagship in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean for periods of up 6 months. She supported US diplomacy in the region, operated with allied and friendly naval forces, and participated in numerous humanitarian missions. During most of this period, Greenwich Bay performed these duties in rotation with her two sisters, Duxbury Bay (AVP-38) and Valcour (AVP-55). The ship was decommissioned in June 1966 and sold for scrapping in May 1967.

Even though an enormous number of ships were scrapped after World War II, Greenwich Bay remained in service because she proved ideal for numerous peacetime assignments. Not all of the duties delegated to the US Navy required the services of a heavily armed warship and Greenwich Bay excelled at performing humanitarian and goodwill missions. Though ships like Greenwich Bay received very little fanfare and even less credit for years of dedicated service, they were critical in building strong relationships with countries that were friendly to the United States. In many ways, those missions (especially at the height of the Cold War) were just as important as actual combat missions.

USS Birmingham (CL-2)

Figure 1: USS Birmingham (originally Scout Cruiser # 2) running sea trials in March 1908. She is flying the flag of her builder, the Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy, Massachusetts, from her mainmast. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) underway in 1908, possibly during trials. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) dressed with flags while at anchor, circa 1909. Collection of Chief Quartermaster John Harold. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: First airplane takeoff from a warship, 14 November 1910. USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) bound for Hampton Roads, after leaving the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, with Eugene B. Ely's Curtiss pusher airplane on board, 14 November 1910. Ely took his plane off from Birmingham later that afternoon. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: First airplane takeoff from a warship, 14 November 1910. Eugene B. Ely flies his Curtiss pusher airplane off the deck of USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2), in Hampton Roads, Virginia, during the afternoon of 14 November 1910. USS Roe (Destroyer # 24) is visible beyond Birmingham's bow, acting as plane guard. Note that Birmingham's anchor is in the process of being hoisted. Photograph from the Eugene B. Ely scrapbooks. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: First airplane takeoff from a warship, 14 November 1910. Eugene B. Ely flies his Curtiss pusher airplane from USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2), in Hampton Roads, Virginia, during the afternoon of 14 November 1910. USS Roe (Destroyer # 24), serving as plane guard, is visible in the background. Photograph from the Eugene B. Ely scrapbooks. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: First airplane takeoff from a warship, 14 November 1910. Eugene B. Ely takes his Curtiss pusher airplane off from the deck of USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2), in Hampton Roads, Virginia, during the afternoon of 14 November 1910. USS Roe (Destroyer # 24), serving as plane guard, is visible in the background. Photograph from the Eugene B. Ely scrapbooks. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: Eugene B. Ely on board USS Roe (Destroyer # 24) on 14 November 1910, shortly after his flight off the deck of USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2). This was the first airplane takeoff from a warship. Photograph from the Eugene B. Ely scrapbooks. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) off New York City during the 1912 Naval Review. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: German Submarine U-53 at Newport, Rhode Island, on 7 October 1916. She subsequently attacked Allied shipping off the U.S. East Coast. USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) is in the right distance. Note tall radio masts and German Navy flags on the submarine, and the interesting small boat tied up alongside. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) moored in a harbor, circa 1918, probably in the Mediterranean area. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 12: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) in Brest harbor, France, on 15 October 1918. During 1917-1918 she was flagship of U.S. Forces at Gibraltar and escorted convoys in the eastern Atlantic. Note her "dazzle" camouflage. Courtesy of John G. Krieger, 1966-1967. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 13: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) in the Middle West Chamber, Gatun Locks, during the passage of the Pacific Fleet through the Panama Canal, 24 July 1919. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Washington, DC, collection of Admiral William V. Pratt. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 14: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) at Seattle, Washington, in September 1919. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 15: USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2) at anchor in San Diego Harbor, California, circa late 1919 or early 1920, when she was flagship of Destroyer Squadron Four. Note the pair of World War I "Overseas Service" chevrons painted on her forward smokestack. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 16: USS Birmingham (now CL-2) leading destroyers out of a West Coast harbor (probably San Diego), circa 1919-1922. The ships directly behind her are USS Twiggs (DD-127) and USS Chauncey (DD-296). Courtesy of ESKC Joseph L. Aguillard, USNR, 1979. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after a city in Alabama, USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser #2) was a 3,750-ton Chester class scout cruiser that was approximately 423 feet long and 47 feet wide, and had a top speed of 24.5 knots, and a crew of 359 officers and men. The ship was built by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company at Quincy, Massachusetts, and was commissioned on 11 April 1908. Birmingham was armed with two 5-inch guns, six 3-inch guns, and two 21-inch torpedo tubes.

After she was commissioned, Birmingham spent the next three years with the US Atlantic Fleet. But the ship’s most important contribution to naval warfare occurred in 1910. In October of that year, Captain Washington I. Chambers was given the task by the US Navy to investigate whether a relatively new invention, the airplane, could have any practical use on board a warship. In October 1910, Chambers attended the International Air Meet at Belmont Park, New York, to observe some of the fragile new aircraft that were being introduced to the public. While there, Chambers met with and was impressed by a demonstration pilot named Eugene Ely, who worked with the airplane builder Glenn Curtiss. A few weeks later, Chambers went to another air show near Baltimore, Maryland, and again ran into Ely. Chambers must have had a great deal of confidence in Ely because he discussed the possibility of having an airplane fly off a warship. Ely thought it was an excellent idea and volunteered for the job.

Chambers received the official backing from the Secretary of the Navy, Beekman Winthrop, to conduct the experiment. But since the US Navy didn’t think it was worth the cost to actually pay for the entire project, a wealthy aviation enthusiast named John Barry Ryan decided to donate the money needed to complete the experiment.

At the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, a wooden platform was built in less than two weeks over the foredeck of the scout cruiser Birmingham. The platform was designed by Naval Constructor William McEntree and, at the cost of a few hundred dollars, was paid for by John Ryan. The platform sloped down five degrees from the Birmingham’s bridge and extended to the tip of the ship’s bow, providing a gravity-assisted 57-foot takeoff run for the Curtiss “pusher” airplane that was to be flown by Ely.

The plane was placed on board Birmingham on the morning of 14 November 1910 and its engine was installed by Ely and his mechanics as the ship left port. Shortly before noon, Birmingham steamed down the Elizabeth River and headed for Hampton Roads, where the flight was to take place. But terrible weather and heavy rain almost cancelled the entire experiment. By mid-afternoon, though, the weather began to clear a little. Ely was in his frail aircraft warming up his engine when he noticed that the weather looked like it was deteriorating again. He decided to act immediately rather than risk having the flight postponed because of rain. At 3:16 PM, Eugene Ely gunned his engine, gave the release signal, and rolled down the Birmingham’s ramp.

The airplane dropped off the ramp and briefly touched the water, damaging the propeller. But Ely managed to regain control of the aircraft and it gradually struggled into the air. The damage to the propeller made the engine vibrate heavily as the airplane climbed, but Ely kept the aircraft airborne for five minutes. Since Ely could not swim, he decided it would be wise to get the damaged plane down on dry land as soon as possible. After a two and a half mile flight, Ely landed on Willoughby Spit, a small peninsula not far from Norfolk. It was the first time in history that an airplane had taken off from a warship and, even though Ely didn’t realize it at the time, it was the birth of US Naval aviation.

The event received a large amount of publicity. On 18 January 1911, Eugene Ely repeated this remarkable achievement, only this time he took off and landed on the armored cruiser Pennsylvania while it was in San Francisco Bay. On the very next day, Lieutenant Theodore G. Ellyson began flight training and eventually became the US Navy’s first aviator.

After its historic experiment, Birmingham was placed in and out of commission over the next few years. After being re-commissioned on 1 October 1913, Birmingham carried the Panama-Pacific Exhibition Commissioners on a tour of South America from October to December 1913. Early in 1914, the cruiser served as the Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla flagship and then operated off the coast of Vera Cruz, Mexico, during that intervention in April and May 1914. In 1916, she became flagship of the Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, and once the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Birmingham was assigned to patrol duty off the Atlantic coast. In June and July she escorted the first convoy transporting US troops to Europe. In August 1917, Birmingham began a long deployment as flagship of US Navy Forces operating out of Gibraltar. For the next fourteen months, until the end of the war on 11 November 1918, Birmingham escorted convoys between ports in Britain, France, and Gibraltar. After the war ended, she made a brief trip to the eastern Mediterranean.

In July 1919, Birmingham was sent to San Diego, California, where she served as flagship for the Pacific Fleet’s destroyer squadrons. While in this capacity, she was reclassified in July 1920 as a light cruiser and was given the hull number CL-2. Birmingham became the flagship of the Special Service Squadron from 1922 to 1923 and participated in operations off Central America and northern South America. Birmingham eventually was sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was decommissioned on 1 December 1923. The old cruiser was sold for scrap on 13 May 1930.

USS Birmingham had an active and eventful career as both a warship and as a pioneer in naval aviation. On 14 November 1910, Eugene Ely, and visionaries like Captain Washington I. Chambers and John Barry Ryan, proved that an aircraft could be successfully launched from a warship and US Naval aviation was born. One wonders whether or not Ely or Chambers could have imagined that their efforts would eventually lead to today’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.