- USS Caesar (AC-16)
USS "Caesar" (AC-16) was a collier built in 1896 by Ropner and Sons, Stockton-on-Tees, England, as Kingtor; purchased by the
United States Navy on21 April 1898 ; fitted out byNew York Navy Yard ; and commissioned13 May 1898 , Lieutenant Commander A. B. Speyers in command.Playing the same essential role in fleet operations as does a modern-day oiler, the collier "Caesar" sailed from
Lambert's Point ,Virginia on1 June 1898 laden with coal for the North Atlantic Squadron then blockadingCuba andPuerto Rico in theSpanish-American War . She continued to carry fuel for this force until8 July 1900 , when she clearedNorfolk, Virginia , on the first of four voyages to the Far East. Sailing by way of theSuez Canal , "Caesar" brought cargo to the ships taking part in the suppression of thePhilippine Insurrection , and aided in the establishment of bases in the new American territory.In July 1903, "Caesar" returned to duty with the
North Atlantic Fleet until decommissioned atNorfolk Navy Yard on23 May 1904 . Recommissioned27 December 1904 , she ferried equipment and supplies for the solar eclipse expedition of 1905 toValencia, Spain . At the close of the scientific program, she returned to Norfolk with the equipment on13 October 1905 . While out of commission at Norfolk from28 October to4 November 1905 , "Caesar" was fitted with towing machinery, and then joined USS "Glacier", USS "Brutus", and USS "Potomac" in an historic assignment. Together, the ships towed the floating dry dock "Dewey" by way of the Suez Canal toOlongapo ,Luzon , a passage which took from28 December 1905 to10 July 1906 . This remains one of the sea's great towing achievements. "Caesar" made voyages to theMediterranean from October 1915 to April 1916 and from July to September 1916. On her first, she carried 135 refugees fromJaffa , toAlexandria, Egypt .Clearing New York for the Mediterranean once more on
19 December 1916 , "Caesar" deliveredRed Cross relief supplies for Syria at Alexandria, then sailed on to Olongapo. She served as cargo and passenger carrier for theAsiatic Fleet until August 1918, when she sailed for the Panama Canal and Norfolk, arriving26 October . Three days later she sailed for France with Army cargo, returning to Norfolk26 February . East coast operations preceded an extensive overhaul at Norfolk which began in September 1920. From May 1921 she resumed duty transporting coal and other supplies between the east and west coasts, and on11 March 1922 , she clearedHampton Roads on her last voyage. After carrying cargo through the Panama Canal toTutuila ,American Samoa , she proceeded toMare Island Navy Yard , where she was decommissioned11 June 1922 and sold22 December 1922 .References
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