USS Washington

Ten ships of the United States Navy have been namedUSS "Washington", originally in honor of George Washington, and later (starting with the 1905 armored cruiser) for the 42nd state.

*The first "Washington" was a schooner named "Endeavor" acquired by General George Washington in October 1775, renamed "Washington", and re-rigged as a brigantine. She was captured in December. Taken to Boston, "Washington", upon inspection by the Royal Navy, was deemed unsuitable for operations on the high seas; she eventually rotted away at Boston.

*The second "Washington" was a row galley that operated in Narragansett Bay during the winter and spring of 1776. In July, the galleys were sent to New York, but after the British captured Manhattan late in the summer, "Washington" and her sister galleys vanished in the mists of unrecorded history.

*The third "Washington" was one of 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress. She was launched in August 1776, however, the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777 forcing the local Continental forces to strip and sink "Washington" to prevent her falling into enemy hands intact. Her remains were later salvaged and sold at Philadelphia.

*The fourth "Washington", a lateen-rigged two-masted galley, was built in the autumn of 1776, and served in Brigadier General Benedict Arnold's fleet at the Battle of Valcour Island. Heavily damaged, "Washington" was captured and eventually taken into British service, apparently retaining her name. Her subsequent fate, however, is unrecorded.

*The fifth USS|Washington|1814|2, a ship of the line, was the second such to be launched by the Navy, and was on active service from 1815 to 1820.

*The sixth USS|Washington|1833|2 was a revenue cutter that initially operated out of Mobile, Alabama, before shifting to Key West, Florida. "Washington" eventually returned to Mobile, where she was sold in June 1837.

*The seventh USS|Washington|1837|2, a revenue cutter. (Contrary to the assumption of this page, this ship was not named for President Washington, but for one Peter G. Washington, who served in the positions of clerk in the Treasury, chief clerk to the 6th Auditor, 1st Assistant Postmaster General, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. See official website of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, http://www.history.noaa.gov/ships/washington.html.)

*The eighth USS|Washington|ACR-11|3 was a "Tennessee"-class armored cruiser, launched in 1905. In 1916, "Washington" was renamed USS|Seattle|ACR-11|3. She was reclassified a heavy cruiser, CA-11, in 1920. In 1941, "Seattle" was reclassified as IX-39. She was struck from the Navy list in 1946.

*The ninth USS|Washington|BB-47|3 was a "Colorado"-class battleship. She was launched in 1921. However, in 1922, after the signing of the Washington Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armaments, all construction work ceased on the dreadnought. She was sunk as a gunnery target in 1924.

*The tenth USS|Washington|BB-56|3 was a "North Carolina"-class battleship, launched in 1940. During World War II she served in both the Atlantic and Pacific, including the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. She was decommissioned in 1947, and struck in 1960.

See also USS|George Washington.