USS Columbus (CA-74, later CG-12)

Figure 1: USS Columbus (CA-74) anchored in the Hudson River, off New York City, at the time of the Navy Day Fleet Review, circa 27 October 1945. A Ford Motor Company facility is in the background. Collection of Warren Beltramini, donated by Beryl Beltramini, 2007. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Columbus (CA-74) hosing down her starboard anchor cable while in New York Harbor during the post-World War II Navy Day Fleet Review, circa 27 October 1945. Note the harbor oiler at right. Courtesy of Lieutenant Gustave J. Freret, USN (Retired), 1972. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Columbus (CA-74) off the coast of Spain, 12 July 1948. Note that she still has her catapults and Curtiss SC "Seahawk" seaplanes. These were landed and replaced with helicopters within a year. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Columbus (CA-74) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, 14 March 1959. The ship was soon decommissioned to begin conversion to a guided-missile cruiser (CG-12). Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USS Columbus (CA-74) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, 14 March 1959. The original print has been signed by Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, who served on this ship while he was Commander, Cruiser Division Six from March 1954 to January 1955. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USS Columbus (CG-12) maneuvering during a readiness demonstration by Task Force 10 for President John F. Kennedy on 25 May 1963. The President was then embarked on USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63), operating in the eastern Pacific. The picture was taken after Columbus was converted into a guided-missile cruiser. Photographed by PHC R.W. Smith, of USS Kitty Hawk. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Columbus (CG-12), at left, and USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5) moored to Buoys 21, 22 & 23, at San Diego, California, 14 March 1964. Photographed by PH2 R.D. Fennell, USN. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: USS Columbus (CG-12) Talos guided missiles on one of the cruiser's launchers, 1962. This photograph was received by "All Hands" magazine on 27 November 1962. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: ASROC (Antisubmarine Rocket) launcher on board USS Columbus (CG-12), 1962. Note the shipping canister on deck by the launcher, probably containing an ASROC rocket. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: USS Columbus (CG-12) fires a Tartar guided missile. Note the single Talos missile on the ship's after launcher, and the variety of radar antennas pointed to port. This photograph was received by the Naval Photographic Center on 5 October 1965. Official US Navy Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: USS Columbus (CG-12) steams astern of USS Independence (CVA-62), while operating in the Mediterranean Sea with Task Group 60.2, December 1970. Photographed by PH3 J. Rose, of USS Independence. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 12: USS Columbus (CG-12) underway in the Mediterranean Sea, during her last Sixth Fleet cruise, 1974. This photograph was received from the ship's Executive Officer in December 1974. Official US Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Click on photograph for larger image.


Named after the capital of Ohio, USS Columbus (CA-74) was a 13,600-ton Baltimore class heavy cruiser that was built at the Bethlehem Steel Company at Quincy, Massachusetts, and was commissioned on 8 June 1945. The ship was approximately 674 feet long and 70 feet wide, had a top speed of 32 knots, and had a crew of 1,902 officers and men. Columbus’ original armament consisted of nine 8-inch guns, 12 5-inch guns, 48 40-mm guns, and 32 20-mm guns.

Commissioned roughly two months before the end of World War II, Columbus was sent to the Far East in January 1946. She participated in the occupation of Japan and China and on 1 April 1946 Columbus was assigned to “Operation Road’s End,” where she assisted in the sinking of 24 Japanese submarines captured at the end of the war. Included in this batch of submarines was I-58, the ship that was responsible for sinking the American cruiser Indianapolis during the last days of the war. Columbus returned to the United States in late 1946, but was back in the Far East from 15 January to 12 June 1947. She became the flagship for American cruisers serving in Chinese waters.

In the spring of 1948, Columbus was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. She was the US Navy’s flagship in European and Mediterranean waters from September 1948 to December 1949 and again from June 1950 to October 1951. In September and October 1952, Columbus served as the flagship for “Operation Mainbrace,” a large NATO exercise that took place in the North Atlantic. She then was assigned to the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean until the end of the year. From September 1954 to January 1955, Columbus once again served with the Sixth Fleet.

Columbus returned to the Pacific Fleet in December 1955. For the next three years, Columbus spent the bulk of her time in the Far East and in 1958 she steamed off the coast of Taiwan during the crisis over the islands of Quemoy and Matsu. In May 1959, Columbus arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington, and was decommissioned for conversion into a guided-missile cruiser.

Columbus was stripped down to her main deck and was reclassified CG-12 on 20 September 1959. For the next three years, the ship was totally rebuilt and transformed into a modern guided-missile cruiser. All of the ship’s guns and upper decks were removed. Columbus was given a new (and much taller) superstructure that carried a vast array of radar antennas and other electronic equipment. Launchers and magazines for the long-range Talos missiles were installed fore and aft, while the smaller Tartar missile launchers were fitted on each side of the ship. An ASROC anti-submarine missile launcher also was installed amidships. Therefore, not only was the ship’s appearance dramatically altered, but so were its capabilities. Columbus was re-commissioned on 1 December 1962.

After she was re-commissioned, Columbus became a member of the three-ship 13,700-ton Albany class of guided-missile cruisers. The ship participated in extensive trials and training operations for more than a year and in August 1964 was assigned to the Western Pacific. Her tour of duty in the Pacific ended in February 1965 and she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in January 1966. In October, the now modernized Columbus returned to the Mediterranean as part of the US Sixth Fleet.

Columbus left the Sixth Fleet in early 1967 and was assigned to patrol duties in the Caribbean and off America’s east coast. She returned to the Mediterranean and served four more tours of duty there from January 1968 to February 1971, only occasionally returning to the United States for an overhaul. Her deployment from August 1970 to February 1971 also included service during the Jordanian crisis.

For the rest of 1971, Columbus underwent an extensive shipyard overhaul. She served in the Mediterranean from May to October 1972, during a period of expanding Soviet Navy activity in the region. Columbus completed her final deployment with the Sixth Fleet from November 1973 to May 1974. During the summer of 1974, the elderly cruiser gradually was de-activated and was decommissioned in January 1975. USS Columbus was stricken from the Naval Register in August 1976 and was sold for scrapping in October 1977.

Columbus was a classic example of a warship that had an extremely useful life after being completely rebuilt. Columbus went on to serve for almost twelve years after she was converted into a guided-missile cruiser. This was a fine record for a cruiser that served at the height of the Cold War, when the US Navy needed as many ships as possible. Columbus showed that for a relatively small investment (certainly when compared to building a new cruiser from scratch), an old and obsolete vessel still could provide years of valuable service.

USS Des Moines (C-15, later PG-29 & CL-17)

Figure 1: Post card photo of the USS Des Moines (C-15). Caption of the card reads: “USS Des Moines at anchor, Tompkinsville, New York.” Faded notation in the upper left-hand corner of the card says, “Copyright by Enrique Muller 1905.” The post card was published by the American News Company, New York. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Des Moines (C-15), date and place unknown. US Navy photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

The 3,200-ton USS Des Moines (CL-15) was the second of six Denver class “protected cruisers,” which were ships that possessed armor protection on their main decks but not on their sides. Also known as “Peace Cruisers,” these slow, lightly-armed and armored ships were never meant for fleet actions. They were used as gunboats with the Asiatic Fleet and in the waters off Central America and South America, as well as in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Because they were needed to patrol distant waters with little support, the Denver class ships were furnished with sails to extend their cruising range while economizing on coal, but they also had large coal bunkers, which increased their range and endurance. Their steel hulls were sheathed with pine and coppered for long service in tropical waters and they possessed roomy, well-ventilated quarters for their crews to ease the discomfort of sailing in hot climates. Each Denver class warship had a two-and-one-half-inch-thick armored deck and all of them were armed with ten 5-inch rapid-fire guns. USS Des Moines was built by the Fore River Ship and Engine Company, Quincy, Massachusetts, and was commissioned 5 March 1904. She was approximately 308 feet long and 44 feet wide, had a top speed of 16 knots, and had a crew of 339 officers and men.

Initially, Des Moines patrolled in the West Indies. But on 29 August 1904, the ship left Boston, Massachusetts, and was assigned to the European Squadron. Des Moines visited ports throughout Europe, showing the flag and safeguarding American interests. Des Moines made stops in France, England, Ireland, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Spain, and Italy before being transferred to the North Atlantic Fleet on 11 December 1904. While with the North Atlantic Fleet, Des Moines sailed in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, participating in naval exercises and protecting American lives and property in the region.

Des Moines returned to Boston on 16 February 1906 and for the next five years patrolled in the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Her primary duties included taking part in naval exercises, transporting officials and marines, and participating in ceremonial observances, such as the internment of John Paul Jones’ remains at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in April 1906 and the Fleet Review that was attended by President Theodore Roosevelt at Oyster Bay, Long Island, in September 1906.

From 15 April 1910 to 23 January 1911, Des Moines patrolled off the coast of Africa and visited the Canary Islands, Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar. From March to November 1911, she resumed patrols in the Atlantic and the West Indies. On 6 December 1911, Des Moines returned to Boston and was placed in reserve while undergoing a major overhaul. She was fully re-commissioned on 3 September 1912 and then steamed to the Caribbean and Central America, where American citizens and interests were threatened by political turmoil. Des Moines periodically steamed north to the Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire, for overhauls and on 24 April 1915 she went on a voyage that took her from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Alexandria, Egypt.

From 26 May 1915 to 25 April 1917, Des Moines protected American lives and property throughout the Middle East, rescuing missionaries and refugees from Turkey and Syria and transporting American officials when needed. She also participated in naval exercises that took her to ports in Italy, France, Spain, and Algeria. During World War I, Des Moines escorted eight merchant ship convoys in the Atlantic and assisted in training naval armed guard crews.

In January 1919, Des Moines assisted other ships in rescuing passengers from the grounded steamer Northern Pacific. All of the 2,200 passengers from the steamer were rescued, 50 of them by Des Moines. On 11 April 1919, the cruiser sailed from New York and headed for Archangel, Russia, where she joined a naval task force assigned to assist Allied forces in northern Russia. Des Moines’ primary mission was to protect American troops from communist Bolshevik forces. After the Allied involvement at Archangel ended, Des Moines brought some of the American troops back to the United States, arriving at the Portsmouth Navy Yard on 27 October.

After her return from Russia, the US Navy seemed to have a difficult time deciding whether or not Des Moines should be classified as a cruiser or a gunboat. Des Moines was given the gunboat designation of PG-29 on 7 July 1920, but was re-designated as a light cruiser, CL-17, on 8 August 1921. Des Moines patrolled off the coast of Mexico from May to September 1920, assisting in relief efforts during an epidemic of plague in that nation. She then was assigned to the Special Service Squadron based at the Panama Canal Zone and assisted in maintaining a naval presence along the coasts of Central and South America. On 5 March 1921, Des Moines returned to the Portsmouth Navy Yard and was decommissioned there on 9 April. USS Des Moines remained at Portsmouth until 11 March 1930, when she was finally sold for scrapping.

USS Denver (Cruiser No. 14, later PG-28 & CL-16)

Figure 1: USS Denver (CL-16) dressed with flags, probably during the 1920s. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) in port, 7 October 1904. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Denver (Cruiser No. 14) underway during the North Atlantic Fleet review in 1905. Photographed by the Burr McIntosh Studio. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Rodgers Collection. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) dressed with flags for a holiday or other special occasion, circa the 1910s. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) dry docked at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, on 5 February 1918. Note that the ship's hull is sheathed and coppered at and below the waterline, to reduce the need for dry docking while operating on distant stations. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) firing a salute at San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1905. Donation of Edward A. Mayer, 1969. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USS Denver (Cruiser No.14) men of the Second Division cleaning the ship, after coaling, circa 1913. Collection of Hubert C. Rickert, courtesy of Daniel Rickert, 1981. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: Ship's racing boat crew celebrates with cigars after a victory, circa 1913. Note the coiled line and decorated broom and mop handles. Seaman Hubert C. Rickert is seated in center holding the mop, just to the right of the cigar box. Collection of Hubert C. Rickert, courtesy of Daniel Rickert, 1981. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: USS Denver’s steam gig tied up to one of the ship's boat booms, circa 1912-1915. The sailor on board the boat is R.O. Mullens. Collection of Hubert C. Rickert, courtesy of Daniel Rickert, 1981. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: USS Denver’s shore patrol of sailors and marines, at Acapulco, Mexico, circa 1913. Collection of Hubert C. Rickert, courtesy of Daniel Rickert, 1981. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: USS Denver (Cruiser No. 14) souvenir pennant from the ship, circa 1913. Collection of Hubert C. Rickert, donated by Daniel Rickert, 1982. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


The 3,200-ton USS Denver (Cruiser No. 14) was the lead ship in a class of six “protected cruisers,” which were ships that possessed armor protection for their main deck but not for the sides of the ship. Also known as “Peace Cruisers,” these slow, lightly-armed and armored ships were never meant for fleet actions. They were used as gunboats with the Asiatic Fleet and in the waters off Central America and South America, as well as in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Because they were needed to patrol distant waters with little support, the Denver class ships were furnished with sails to extend their cruising range while economizing on coal, but they also had large coal bunkers, which increased their range and endurance. Their steel hulls were sheathed with pine and coppered for long service in tropical waters and they possessed roomy, well-ventilated quarters for their crews to ease the discomfort of sailing in hot climates. Each Denver class warship had a two-and-one-half-inch-thick armored deck and all of them were armed with ten 5-inch rapid-fire guns. USS Denver was built by the Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was commissioned 17 May 1904. She was approximately 308 feet long and 44 feet wide, had a top speed of 16 knots, and had a crew of 339 officers and men.

After she was commissioned, Denver spent almost three years patrolling the Atlantic coast of the United States and the Caribbean. She served as a traditional gunboat, protecting American lives and property in the West Indies, and acted as a training ship for midshipmen from the US Naval Academy in the summer of 1906. Denver also participated in the Fleet Review off Oyster Bay, Long Island, for President Theodore Roosevelt in September 1906.

On 18 May 1907, Denver left New York to join the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines. She went via the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, and on to Cavite in the Philippines, arriving on 1 August. Denver visited ports throughout China and Japan and remained with the Asiatic Fleet until 1 January 1910, when she was ordered back to the United States. Denver arrived on 15 February at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, and was decommissioned on 12 March. She was placed in reserve commission on 4 January 1912 and was fully re-commissioned on 15 July for service in the Pacific Ocean.

From 1912 to 1917, Denver’s area of operations ranged from San Francisco all the way south to Panama. She made many stops along the coasts of Mexico and Nicaragua, two countries that were involved in almost constant political turmoil. Denver was responsible for protecting American lives and property in these troubled nations and assisted in evacuating US citizens when necessary. From 6 December 1916 to 30 March 1917, Denver also conducted a survey of the Gulf of Fonesca on the coast of Nicaragua. The ship then was transferred to the Caribbean and on 10 April 1917 arrived at Key West, Florida. She was assigned to patrol duties between Key West, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

During World War I, Denver was sent to New York. She arrived on 22 July 1917 and began escorting merchant convoys originating from either New York or Norfolk, Virginia. The convoys steamed to a mid-Atlantic meeting point where American or British destroyers took over control of the convoy and escorted the merchant ships to ports in either England or France. During the war, Denver escorted eight convoys in this manner. After the war ended, Denver began patrolling off the east coast of South America on 5 December 1918 and returned to New York on 4 June 1919. From 7 July 1919 to 27 September 1921, Denver sailed between New York and San Francisco and spent much time in the Panama Canal Zone and operating off the coasts of Central America. Denver was re-classified PG-28 on 7 July 1920 and then CL-16 on 8 August 1921.

During the summer of 1922, Denver carried the President of Liberia back to his country after he visited the United States. On 9 October 1922, Denver returned to the Canal Zone and remained there for eight years, based at Cristobal. She patrolled along both coasts of Central America, guarding American interests, transporting various officials, and paying courtesy calls to numerous ports in the area. This routine, though, was broken by occasional visits to Boston, Massachusetts, for overhauls. From 20 November to 18 December 1922, Denver carried relief supplies to earthquake and tidal wave victims in Chile and from November 1925 to June 1926, Denver served the Special Commission on Boundaries and carried dignitaries from Chile to the United States or the Canal Zone.

From 14 to 19 February 1929, Denver participated in ceremonies held at Havana, Cuba, commemorating the sinking of the battleship Maine. She returned to Philadelphia on 25 December 1930 and was decommissioned on 14 February 1931. USS Denver was sold for scrapping on 13 September 1933.

USS New Ironsides

Figure 1: Sepia wash drawing by Clary Ray, circa 1900, depicting USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) with her full sailing rig. Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, DC. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: Photograph, somewhat retouched, of USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) taken during the Civil War era, while the ship was carrying full sail rig. Courtesy of the US Marine Corps Historical Center, Personal Papers Section: Collection of Henry Clay Cochrane. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: Lithograph by W.H. Rease, Philadelphia, circa 1862. Main inscription below the image reads: "U.S. Armored Frigate, New Ironsides. Designed and Constructed for the U.S. Navy Department by Merrick & Sons, Philadelphia." Collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: Halftone reproduction of a 19th-century lithograph, depicting USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) with full sailing rig. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: Wash drawing by R.G. Skerrett, circa 1900, showing USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) as ready for action, with masts and yards struck down. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: Nineteenth century photograph of a watercolor sketch, depicting USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) off Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863, with her sides showing the effects of several engagements with Confederate artillery. The original photographic print is inscribed "With Compliments of W.S. Wells (Late) U.S. Navy." US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: "Charleston Harbor, Looking towards the City." Line engraving published in Harper's Weekly, January-June 1863, pages 264-65, depicting the Federal fleet off the harbor mouth at the time of the ironclads' attack on Fort Sumter, 7 April 1863. US Navy ships specifically identified include New Ironsides (second from left in the ironclad formation) and Keokuk (ironclad furthest to the right). US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: "Panoramic View of Charleston Harbor -- Advance of Ironclads to the Attack, April 7th, 1863." Line engraving published in The Soldier in our Civil War, Volume II, page 172, with a key to individual ships and land features shown. US Navy ships present are (from left to center): Keokuk, Nahant, Nantucket, Catskill, New Ironsides, Patapsco, Montauk, Passaic and Weehawken. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: "The Iron-Clad Frigate New Ironsides and Two Ericsson Batteries going into action at Charleston." Hand-tinted copy of a line engraving by Smyth, depicting USS New Ironsides and two monitors in action at Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1863. Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, DC. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: Fort Fisher Operation, December 1864 -- January 1865. Ships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron departing Hampton Roads, Virginia, en route to attack Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in December 1864. The ships present are (from left to right): A twin-turret monitor, probably USS Monadnock; USS New Ironsides and a steam sloop of war. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: "The Bombardment of Fort Fisher, January 15, 1865." Engraving by T. Shussler, after an artwork by J.O. Davidson, published in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. It depicts ships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron bombarding Fort Fisher, North Carolina, prior to the ground assault that captured the fortification. Identifiable ships include: USS Monadnock (twin-turret monitor in the right center); USS Vanderbilt (gray two-stack side-wheel steamer in right foreground); and USS New Ironsides (at the right end of the main battle line). US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 12: "Bombardment of Fort Fisher," 15 January 1865. Lithograph after a drawing by T.F. Laycock, published by Endicott & Co., New York, 1865, depicting the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron bombarding Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in preparation for its capture. The print is dedicated to Commodore S.W. Godon, USN. Collections of the Library of Congress. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 13: “Capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, 15 January 1865.” Watercolor by eyewitness Ensign John W. Grattan, of Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter's staff, depicting Porter's fleet bombarding the fort prior to the ground assault. Side-wheel steamer in the right foreground is Porter's flagship, USS Malvern. USS New Ironsides and USS Monadnock are in the right distance. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation, Grattan Collection. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 14: USS New Ironsides (1862-1866), left, and USS Monadnock (1864-1874), right foreground. Engraving published in Harper's Weekly, 3 February 1866 as part of a larger print entitled "The Iron-clad Navy of the United States.” Text printed below the image is in error concerning the date of New Ironsides' launch, which actually took place on 10 May 1862. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


The famous American frigate Constitution was given the nickname “Old Ironsides.” When the US Navy began building a new and powerful ironclad during the Civil War, a decision was made to give this warship the name USS New Ironsides, hoping that it would be as successful as its famous ancestor. The 4,120-ton broadside ironclad USS New Ironsides was built by Merrick & Sons at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 21 August 1862. The ship was approximately 232 feet long and 57 feet wide, had a top speed of 6 knots, and had a crew of 460 officers and men. New Ironsides was armed with two 150-pounder guns, two 50-pounder guns, 14 11-inch smooth-bore cannons, and two 12-pounders. Because it did not have a revolving turret, New Ironsides was considered a “broadside” ironclad and originally had a bark sail rig, but her masts were removed later on in her brief career and replaced with light poles. Although she was too slow for long-range sea duty, New Ironsides was a highly effective coastal warship that was practically invulnerable to enemy fire. The ship never reached her intended speed of 9.5 knots, but she was heavily armed and was very effective in bombarding stationery land targets.

After a lengthy fitting-out period, New Ironsides was assigned to the Union’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in January 1863. For approximately one year, she supported the blockade of Charleston, South Carolina, and was used to attack the Confederate forts located in and around that area. New Ironsides’ heavy broadside batteries on each side of the ship, along with her massive iron armor protection, made her extremely useful in this role.

New Ironsides’ first major attack on a Confederate fortification took place on 7 April 1863, when nine Federal ironclads entered Charleston harbor and bombarded Fort Sumter. New Ironsides was hit many times by rebel cannon fire, but she was not seriously damaged, unlike several of the ironclads that sailed with her during the attack. Fort Sumter was almost pounded into rubble by the Union assault, but it didn’t fall and remained in Confederate hands. During the summer of 1863, New Ironsides assisted in the bombardment of Fort Wagner (also known as Battery Wagner) and was present when the Confederates abandoned the fort in 7 September 1863. During the siege of Fort Wagner, New Ironsides was attacked by a Confederate torpedo boat on 21 August, but was not damaged. But on the night of 5 October 1863, another enemy torpedo boat, CSS David, attacked and damaged the ironclad. However, New Ironsides was able to remain on station until May 1864, when she returned to Philadelphia for repairs and a general overhaul.

Once the overhaul was completed in August 1864, New Ironsides was assigned to the Union’s North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. In December, she participated in the massive Union assault on Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Although the attack was halted on Christmas day after a heavy bombardment of the fort, the Union warships resumed the assault in mid-January 1865. New Ironsides was one of the many Union warships that pounded the fort with cannon fire, paving the way for a Union ground assault that eventually captured the Confederate stronghold on 15 January. For the remaining months of the Civil War, New Ironsides supported the Union fleet in the Hampton Roads area. The ship was decommissioned in April 1865 and was placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. While anchored there, USS New Ironsides was accidently destroyed by a fire on 16 December 1866.

It is a pity that the US Navy could not preserve New Ironsides as a floating monument to the Ironclad Era of naval shipbuilding. She was a tough war veteran and the precursor to the modern-day battleship. But she was still able to do honor to the name that was given to her before she was destroyed, even though her ancestor and namesake, USS Constitution, the original “Old Ironsides,” is still afloat to this day, floating peacefully in Boston Harbor.

USS Nantucket

Figure 1: “Civil War Ironclads at Sea.” Chromolithograph by Armstrong & Company, after an 1893 watercolor by Fred S. Cozzens, published in Our Navy -- Its Growth and Achievements, 1897. Ships depicted are (from left to right): Monadnock class twin-turret monitor; Passaic class single-turret monitor (in foreground); USS Naugatuck; USS Keokuk; USS New Ironsides and USS Nantucket. From the collection of Captain Glenn Howell, USN, 1974. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Nantucket (1863-1900) lithograph by Endicott & Company, New York, published circa the mid-1860s. Courtesy of Charles Moran,1935. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Nantucket (1863-1900) photographed circa the 1880s or 1890s. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: "Panoramic View of Charleston Harbor. Advance of Ironclads to the Attack, April 7th, 1863." Line engraving published in The Soldier in our Civil War, Volume II, page 172, with a key to individual ships and land features shown. US Navy ships present are (from left to center): Keokuk, Nahant, Nantucket, Catskill, New Ironsides, Patapsco, Montauk, Passaic and Weehawken. US Naval Historical Center Photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.

Named after an island off the coast of Massachusetts, USS Nantucket was a 1,875-ton Passaic class coastal monitor that was built by the Atlantic Iron Works at Boston, Massachusetts, and was commissioned on 26 February 1863. The ship was approximately 200 feet long and 46 feet wide, had a top speed of 7 knots, and had a crew of 75 officers and men. Nantucket had a single turret that was armed with one 15-inch and one 11-inch Dahlgren smoothbore guns.

Shortly after being commissioned, Nantucket was assigned to the Union’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and patrolled off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. On 7 April 1863, Nantucket participated in the large Union naval assault on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The monitor was hit an amazing 51 times by Confederate gunfire during the attack and remained afloat. Unfortunately, the entire operation ended in failure, with the Union fleet withdrawing and the Confederate guns remaining in operation deep within the rubble of Fort Sumter. Nantucket steamed to Port Royal, South Carolina, for repairs but quickly returned to Charleston and supported Union Army attacks on Morris Island, firing on Fort Wagner (also known as Battery Wagner) from July to September 1863. Nantucket’s gunfire, and that of the other federal ironclads, played a key role in forcing the evacuation of Fort Wagner on 7 September. Nantucket continued firing on Confederate forts around Charleston Harbor for the rest of the Civil War. She also remained attached to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron for the duration of the war. She assisted in preventing Confederate monitors from steaming into the Charleston area and was useful in enforcing the Union blockade of the southern coastline. Once the Civil War ended, Nantucket was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 24 June 1865.

Nantucket remained “in ordinary,” or reserve, for the next ten years. She briefly was renamed Medusa on 15 June 1869, but went back to her old name, Nantucket, on 10 August 1869. The ship was transferred to the Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire, in 1875 and briefly was re-commissioned from 29 July to 12 December 1882 and from 16 June to 6 October 1884. She patrolled off the northeastern coast of the United States, but then was sent to New York where she was again placed in reserve. Nantucket was transferred to the North Carolina Naval Militia in 1895 and was based at Port Royal, South Carolina, during the Spanish-American War in 1898. Nantucket provided useful service during the war as a coastal defense ship. But monitors were rapidly becoming obsolete and, after the Spanish-American War ended, the ship was decommissioned for the last time. USS Nantucket was sold for scrapping on 14 November 1900.

USS Half Moon (AVP-26)

Figure 1: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed off Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 2: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed off Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. She was completed with a main battery of four 5-inch guns. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 3: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed at her builder's yard at Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 4: USS Half Moon (AVP-26) photographed at her builder's yard at Houghton, Washington, on 15 June 1943, the day of her first commissioning. One of her two after 5-inch unshielded gun mounts and her seaplane crane are in the foreground. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the US National Archives. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 5: USCGC Half Moon (WAVP-378) arrives on Ocean Station Delta off the coast of Canada, 1 April 1965. US Coast Guard photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 6: USCGC Half Moon (WAVP-378) underway, date and place unknown. US Coast Guard photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 7: USCGC Half Moon (WAVP-378) at Curtis Bay, Maryland, in the fall of 1964. US Coast Guard photograph. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 8: USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378) underway off the coast of Vietnam, date unknown. US Coast Guard photograph from the Office of the US Coast Guard Historian. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 9: A US Coast Guard 82-foot patrol boat comes alongside USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378) for replenishment during Operation Market Time off the coast of South Vietnam. Photograph courtesy of Russ Worthington. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 10: USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378) patch while attached to Squadron Three off the coast of Vietnam. Photograph courtesy of John LeClair. Click on photograph for larger image.


Figure 11: USCGC Half Moon (WHEC-378), probably towards the end of her career with the US Coast Guard. Photograph courtesy of Russ Worthington. Click on photograph for larger image.

NOTE: There is an excellent web site dedicated to the USCGC Half Moon and its crew: http://reocities.com/Pentagon/8917/

Named after a bay on the coast of California, the 1,766-ton USS Half Moon (AVP-26) was a Barnegat class small seaplane tender that was built by the Lake Washington Shipyards at Houghton, Washington, and was commissioned on 15 June 1943. Originally designed as a motor torpedo boat tender and designated AGP-6, Half Moon was re-designated AVP-26 on 1 May 1943 and converted into a small seaplane tender. The ship was approximately 311 feet long and 41 feet wide, had a top speed of 18 knots, and had a crew of 215 officers and men. Half Moon initially was armed with four 5-inch guns and several 40-mm and 20-mm guns, but her armament was reduced substantially later on in her career.

Half Moon left San Diego, California, in August 1943 and was assigned to the southwest Pacific. From October to December, Half Moon tended to seaplanes at Namoai Bay on Sariba Island, New Guinea. She also assisted seaplanes along the coast of New Guinea at Finshafen, Middleburg, and Morotai until October 1944. At times, Half Moon was used as a transport as well.

In October 1944, Half Moon left New Guinea and steamed to the Philippines, where she established a seaplane base on the eastern coast of Leyte Island. On 24 October, the ship witnessed the last major sea battle between surface fleets at the Battle of Surigao Strait. Since there was little a seaplane tender could do in a major fleet engagement, Half Moon remained off the coast of Leyte, well to the west of the ships fighting in the battle. After the battle, the ship resumed her seaplane-tending duties and remained in the Philippines until August 1945. Half Moon survived a typhoon while on her way to Okinawa in early September, but returned to the Philippines in October. On 7 November, Half Moon steamed back to the United States and arrived at Seattle, Washington, on 1 December 1945. On 12 April 1946, the ship was sent to San Diego and was decommissioned there on 4 September and placed in reserve.

In September 1948, Half Moon was refitted and transferred to the US Coast Guard and re-designated WAVP-378. Some of her modifications included the installment of oceanographic equipment, the renovation of the crew’s living spaces, and the addition of modern naval communications and radar equipment. Her large aviation gasoline storage tanks (which were used while she was a seaplane tender) were converted to hold diesel fuel for her engines. This extended the ship’s range significantly so that she could remain at sea for extended periods of time without refueling. Based at Staten Island, New York, Half Moon’s primary duties were to collect weather data in the Atlantic Ocean and to serve as a search and rescue ship when needed.

Half Moon served in the Atlantic as a floating weather station and search and rescue vessel throughout the 1950s and well into the 1960s. On 1 May 1966, Half Moon was re-designated WHEC-378 and on 1 April 1967 she was ordered to join the US Seventh Fleet off the coast of Vietnam. Eighteen days after receiving her orders to leave for Southeast Asia, Half Moon left New York and joined five other high-endurance cutters that also were going to South Vietnam to form Coast Guard Squadron Three. Half Moon sailed from New York City to Panama and, after transiting the canal, went to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After being loaded with supplies and ammunition, the ship proceeded to Subic Bay, the Philippines, and then on to South Vietnam. Half Moon and the other ships in Squadron Three were assigned to Operation Market Time. Their primary duty was to prevent arms smugglers from infiltrating South Vietnam by sea. For this mission, Half Moon was armed with a 5-inch gun, heavy machine guns, and mortars. While patrolling off the coast of South Vietnam, Half Moon provided gunfire support to Army units on land with her 5-inch gun and her crew boarded and searched numerous vessels suspected of carrying contraband. The cutter also sank four sampans (killing 13 Viet Cong guerillas), damaged or destroyed 64 enemy military shore emplacements and structures, and acted as a support ship for the Navy’s 50-foot Swift Boats.

Half Moon left South Vietnam in December 1967 and arrived back in New York City on 22 January 1968. She resumed her duties as a weather ship and search and rescue vessel on 23 April 1968 and continued performing these duties until she was decommissioned in New York on 15 July 1969. The old warship eventually was sold for scrap on 20 April 1970.