- USS Newark (C-1)
The first USS "Newark" (C-1) was a
United States Navy protected cruiser , the first modern cruiser in the US fleet.She was laid down by
William Cramp and Sons ,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ,12 June 1888 , launched19 March 1890 , sponsored by MissAnnie Boutelle , daughter ofCongressman Boutelle ofMaine , and commissioned2 February 1891 , CaptainSilas Casey III in command."Newark" operated off the Atlantic coast for ten months, taking part in maneuvers and exercises until detached
8 December atNorfolk Navy Yard . There she remained, undergoing post-shakedown overhaul until being assigned11 March 1892 to theNorth Atlantic Squadron and sailing on the 14th for theWest Indies . The cruiser operated inCaribbean waters and off the lower east coast, showing the flag in West Indies ports until returning to Norfolk5 June where she was madeflagship of Rear Admiral Andrew E. K. Benham, Commander of the newly formedSouth Atlantic Squadron ,25 June . She departed17 July forCádiz ,Spain to participate in the ceremonies commemorating the 400th Anniversary of Columbus' sailing. Arriving on the 30th, she remained until2 August then sailed forGenoa , Columbus' birthplace, arriving one month later to continue the celebration. Putting out from Genoa on the 25th, "Newark" cruised theMediterranean and theAdriatic , visiting many ports until arriving11 February 1893 at Cádiz to take in tow a full size reproduction ofcaravel "Nina" and sailing on the 18th for home.Transferred to the
Naval Review Fleet for temporary duty1 March , the cruiser arrivedHavana 21 March , parting with "Nina" there, thence sailing toHampton Roads andNew York where she picked up the caravel once more and proceeded down theSt. Lawrence River toQuebec , leaving the little ship there11 June and returning to Norfolk22 June . "Newark" next sailed20 September , this time forRio de Janeiro ,Brazil , to protect American interests, arriving20 October and remaining until1 April 1894 . The warship then operated off theSouth America n coast with the South Atlantic Squadron, making one cruise toSouth Africa from August to October1894 and another the same time the following year, before returning to Norfolk27 April 1896 . Assigned to theNorth Atlantic Station 4 May , she joined her squadron at New York25 June and engaged in patrol duty and exercises off the southeastern coast until decommissioning at Norfolk6 March 1897 .Following extensive overhaul, "Newark" recommissioned
23 May 1898 , shortly after the declaration of war on Spain, CaptainA. S. Barker in command. She sailed13 June forKey West and then Cuba, joining theblockade 30 June . Cruising in Cuban waters throughout the summer, the warship bombarded the port of Manzanillo12 August and on the following day accepted its surrender. After theBattle of Santiago de Cuba , she participated in the final destruction ofAdmiral Cervera 's fleet through bombardment of the burned hulks. "Newark" returned to New York26 November 1898.Departing New York
23 March 1899 , the cruiser steamed down the coast of South America on patrol, stopping at numerous ports along the way. In the middle of her cruise,7 April , she was ordered to proceed through theStraits of Magellan toSan Francisco . The ship, low on coal, was forced to put intoPort Low ,Chile , from31 May to22 June to cut wood(!) for fuel. Finally arrivingMare Island Navy Yard 4 September , "Newark" underwent repairs and then sailed17 October viaHonolulu for thePhilippines arrivingCavite 25 November to support the U.S. Army in thePhilippine-American War . The warship took station offVigan ,Luzon , landed troops for garrison duty, then moved on to Aparri10 December , receiving the surrender of insurrectionists in the provinces ofCagayan ,Isabela , andBataan .On
19 March 1900 , she sailed forHong Kong to rendezvous with monitor "Monadnock"22 March andconvoy that ship to Cavite, arriving3 April and staying there until sailing forYokohama 24 April , arriving 3 days later. The ship then hoisted the flag of Rear AdmiralLouis Kempff , Assistant-Commander of theAsiatic Station and sailed20 May forChina to help land reinforcements to relieve the legations under siege by theBoxers atPeking . ArrivingTientsin 22 May , "Newark" operated in that port and out ofTaku andChefoo , protecting American interests and aiding the relief expedition under Vice AdmiralEdward Hobart Seymour , R.N., until sailing at the end of July for Kure, Japan, and then Cavite where she hoisted the pennant of the Senior Squadron Commander in the Philippines. She sailed for home in mid-April1901 , via Hong Kong,Ceylon andSuez , arrivingBoston late July 1901. She decommissioned there29 July ."Newark" recommissioned
3 November 1902 , Comdr. Richard Wainwright in command and sailed14 December for duty in southern waters. For the next two years she operated in the West Indies and off the coast of South America as part of the North Atlantic Fleet. Returning to Norfolk briefly27 October 1904 to9 January 1905 , she resumed her duties in the West Indies for the first six months of the year and then in June, following exercises off Virginia, was assigned as a training ship to theUnited States Naval Academy . Placed in reserve atAnnapolis 15 September , she was restored to full duty3 May 1906 for her second east coast training cruise. Following this duty, she put into Norfolk13 September where she embarked a Marine detachment and sailed for Cuba on the 17th. The veteran cruiser returned home19 October and decommissioned atNew York Navy Yard 9 November .Loaned to the
New York Naval Militia 23 March 1907 , she recommissioned exactly one year later for duty as a station ship at the Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Arriving2 April 1908 , she served on this duty until returning to Norfolk5 December 1912 to be placed in reserve on the 31st. "Newark" decommissioned16 June 1912 and was stricken from theNavy List 26 June .The old cruiser continued to serve her country following her Navy service. Turned over to the
Public Health Service , she served asquarantine hulk for the hospital inProvidence, Rhode Island , until1918 when she returned to the Navy to serve throughoutWorld War I as an annex to theNaval Hospital Newport, Rhode Island . Later transferred to New York, she returned to the Public Health Service at Providence, May 1919. On7 July 1926 she was again returned to the Navy Department for disposal and was sold7 September .See USS "Newark" for other Navy ships of the same name.
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