SS St. Louis (1894)

Last updated
SS St. Louis.jpg
St. Louis seen off New York in 1900.
History
US flag 48 stars.svg United States
NameSt. Louis
Owner International Navigation Company
Operator House flag of the American Line.svg American Line
Route
Builder William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia
Yard number277
Launched12 November 1894
In service1895
Out of service1918
Homeport New York City
Fate
  • Destroyed by fire, January 1920
  • Scrapped, 1925
US flag 45 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS St. Louis
Commissioned24 April 1898
Decommissioned2 September 1898
FateReturned to owners, 1898
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Louisville
Acquired17 April 1918
Commissioned24 April 1918
Decommissioned9 September 1919
FateReturned to owners, 1919. Scrapped 1924
General characteristics
Type Passenger ship / Auxiliary cruiser / Troopship
Displacement14,910 long tons (15,149 t)
Length554 ft (169 m)
Beam63 ft (19 m)
Draft30 ft (9.1 m)
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement377
Armament
Service record
Operations:

SS St. Louis was a passenger liner built in 1894 and sponsored by the wife of U.S. President Grover Cleveland. She entered merchant service in 1895, operating between New York and Southampton, England. St. Louis was registered in the United States and owned by the International Navigation Company of New York City. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy during both the Spanish–American War (when she was renamed USS St. Louis) and World War I (when she was renamed USS Louisville). [Note 1] After the ship reverted to its original name in 1919, she caught fire and was scrapped in Genoa in 1924.

Contents

Service history

Quadruple expansion engines of St. Louis in the Cramp workshop where they were built SS St. Louis (1894) engines.jpg
Quadruple expansion engines of St. Louis in the Cramp workshop where they were built

Spanish–American War

On a later voyage following the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, St. Louis was chartered for Naval service while at Southampton and returned to New York on 22 April 1898. Armed with four 5-inch rapid fire guns and eight 6-pounders, she was commissioned as an auxiliary cruiser in the United States Navy on 24 April, Capt. Caspar F. Goodrich in command. St. Louis, crewed by 27 officers and 350 men, departed on 30 April for the Caribbean.

St. Louis was specially outfitted with heavy drag lines in order to destroy undersea cable communications in the West Indies and to the mainland of South America. On 13 May, the ship severed a cable between St. Thomas and San Juan, and on 18 May engaged in gunfire with the Morro Castle batteries at Santiago de Cuba while cutting another cable. When Admiral Pascual Cervera's fleet sailed into Santiago Harbor, the Spanish warships found themselves cut off from direct communications with Spain.

St. Louis next severed the cable between Guantanamo Bay and Haiti; then cut the cable off Cienfuegos to isolate Cuba from outside communications. She joined in the bombardment of fortifications at Caimanera in Guantanamo Bay on 3 June; captured a Spanish merchant ship on the 10th; intercepted two British ships bound for Cuba - the Twickenham on 10 June and Wary on 1 July; and was present at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July when the Spanish Fleet was destroyed while trying to force its way to sea.

St. Louis received many prisoners of war, including Admiral Cervera, for internment in the United States and landed them at Portsmouth, N.H., on 11 July. She steamed south from Norfolk on the 28th to cruise among ports of Puerto Rico and Cuba until 10 August; then sailed for New York where she arrived on the 14th. She shifted to Philadelphia on 24 August to enter the Cramp shipyard for preparation for return to her owners. St. Louis was decommissioned on 2 September and was turned over to Mr. J. Parker, a representative of the American Lines.

World War I

For many years, SS St. Louis was prominent as a passenger liner between New York and Liverpool. For example, in June 1906, the newly married Alice Roosevelt Longworth sailed on the ship for her first trip to Europe. [1] On 17 March 1917, she was provided with an armed guard of 26 sailors and equipped with three 6-inch guns to defend against enemy attack on her New York-to-Liverpool service route. On 30 May, while proceeding up the Irish Sea and skirting the coast of England, she responded rapidly to the orders, "Hard Starboard," at the sighting of a periscope, and succeeded in dodging a torpedo while apparently striking the submarine which fired it. Later dry-dock examination revealed that 18 feet of her keel rubbing strake had been torn away. On 25 July, her gunners exchanged fire with a surfaced U-boat, some three miles away, and sighted many near misses.

351st Field Artillery troops on the deck of the Louisville, Feb. 17, 1919 351st Field Artillery (African American) Troops on the Deck of the "Louisville." Part of the Squadr . . . - NARA - 533486.tif
351st Field Artillery troops on the deck of the Louisville, Feb. 17, 1919

On 17 April 1918, St. Louis was delivered to the Navy at New York to be wholly manned and operated by the Navy as a troop transport. She was renamed Louisville (SP-1644) to avoid confusion with the heavy cruiser St. Louis. Louisville was commissioned on 24 April.

Louisville first put to sea on 12 October bound for Portland and Southampton, England, and returned to New York on 7 January 1919. From then until 19 August of that year, she made six voyages from New York to Liverpool or to Brest, France, to return American soldiers from the Great War. On 20 August, she shifted to Norfolk and was decommissioned there on 9 September 1919. She was returned to her owner on the 11th and resumed her original name, St. Louis.

Destruction

On 8 January 1920, while St. Louis was being reconditioned as a passenger liner in Hoboken, N.J., a workman's blowtorch ignited a fire. The fire raged into the next day, 9 January. When the fire could not be controlled, the ship was scuttled at the dock and allowed to burn. The only thing left after the fire was her steel hull. Damages were estimated at $1 million. [2] She was later refloated and taken over by insurance underwriters. Over the next five years, under ownership of various investors, she lay at docks in different parts of New York Harbor. Finally, she was sold in 1925; and two Dutch tugs towed her to Italy where she was scrapped by an Italian salvage company.

Notes

  1. ↑ Louisville was chosen as a name so as not to confuse this ship with the cruiser USS St. Louis (C-20).

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Oregon</i> (BB-3) Indiana-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Oregon (BB-3) was the third and final member of the Indiana class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the United States Navy in the 1890s. The three ships were built as part of a modernization program aimed at strengthening the American fleet to prepare for a possible conflict with a European navy. Designed for short-range operations in defense of the United States, the three Indiana-class ships had a low freeboard and carried a main battery of four 13-inch (330 mm) guns in a pair of gun turrets. Oregon and her sister ships were the first modern battleships built for the United States, though they suffered from significant stability and seakeeping problems owing to their small size and insufficient freeboard.

USS <i>Iowa</i> (BB-4) Pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Iowa was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the United States Navy in the mid-1890s. The ship was a marked improvement over the previous Indiana-class battleships, correcting many of the defects in the design of those vessels. Among the most important improvements were significantly better seaworthiness owing to her greater freeboard and a more efficient arrangement of the armament. Iowa was designed to operate on the high seas, which had been the impetus to increase the freeboard. She was armed with a battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two twin-gun turrets, supported by a secondary battery of eight 8-inch (203 mm) guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Santiago de Cuba</span> Naval battle during the Spanish–American War

The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurred during the Spanish–American War. The significantly more powerful US Navy squadron, consisting of four battleships and two armored cruisers, decisively defeated an outgunned squadron of the Royal Spanish Navy, consisting of four armored cruisers and two destroyers. All of the Spanish ships were sunk for no American loss. The crushing defeat sealed the American victory in the Cuban theater of the war, ensuring the independence of Cuba from Spanish rule.

USS <i>Harvard</i> (1888)

The first USS Harvard of the United States Navy was an auxiliary cruiser in the Spanish–American War. She was launched as City of New York, and later commissioned as Plattsburg (SP-1645) for service in World War I.

SS <i>Saint Paul</i> (1895)

SS Saint Paul was a trans-Atlantic ocean liner named for the capital of Minnesota.

USS <i>Yankee</i> (1892)

USS Yankee was originally El Norte, a steamer launched 14 June 1892 and delivered 15 August 1892 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. for the Southern Pacific Railroad's Morgan Line. The ship was acquired by the United States Navy from the Southern Pacific Company on 6 April 1898. The ship was renamed and commissioned at New York on 14 April 1898, Commander Willard H. Brownson in command.

USS <i>Yosemite</i> (1892) Auxiliary cruiser of the United States Navy

The first USS Yosemite was an auxiliary cruiser of the United States Navy. Built as El Sud in 1892 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, in Newport News, Virginia for the Southern Pacific Railroad's Morgan Line. The Navy acquired El Sud on 6 April 1898, at the beginning of the Spanish–American War and renamed her Yosemite. It commissioned her on 13 April 1898 under Commander William H. Emory.

USS <i>Merrimac</i> (1894) Former Norwegian collier acquired by the US Navy

USS Merrimac, sometimes incorrectly spelt Merrimack, was a cargo steamship that was built in 1894 in England as Solveig for Norwegian owners, and renamed Merrimac when a US shipowner acquired her in 1897.

SS <i>City of New York</i> (1888) British-built passenger liner

City of New York was a British built passenger liner that was designed to be the largest and fastest liner on the Atlantic. When she entered service with the Inman Line in August 1888, she was the first twin screw express liner in the world, and while she did not achieve the westbound Blue Riband, she ultimately held the eastbound record from August 1892 to May 1893 at a speed of 20.11 knots. City of New York and her sister City of Paris are considered especially beautiful ships, and throughout their careers were rivals to White Star Line's Teutonic and Majestic. In February 1893, the Inman Line was merged into the American Line and, by act of Congress, the renamed New York was transferred to the US flag. Beginning in the mid-1890s, New York and Paris were paired with St Louis and St Paul to form one of the premier Atlantic services. New York continued with the American Line until 1920 and was broken for scrap in 1923. She served in the United States Navy as USS Harvard during the Spanish–American War, and Plattsburg in World War I. She is also remembered for nearly colliding with RMS Titanic as the latter ship departed on her maiden voyage in 1912.

SS <i>City of Paris</i> (1888) British-built passenger liner

City of Paris, was a British-built passenger liner of the Inman Line that held the Blue Riband as the fastest ship on the north Atlantic route from 1889 to 1891 and again from 1892 to 1893. A sister ship of the City of New York and a rival of the White Star Line Teutonic and Majestic, she proved to be the quickest of the pre-Campania twin-screw express liners. In 1893, she was renamed Paris and transferred to US registry when the Inman Line was merged into the American Line. She and her sister were paired with the new American built St Louis and St Paul to form one of the premier Atlantic services.

Spanish cruiser <i>Reina Mercedes</i> Cruiser of the Spanish Navy

Reina Mercedes, was an Alfonso XII-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy.

Spanish cruiser <i>Vizcaya</i> Ship

Vizcaya was an Infanta Maria Teresa-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Almirante Oquendo</i> Spanish Navy cruiser

Almirante Oquendo, was an Infanta Maria Teresa-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Infanta Maria Teresa</i>

Infanta María Teresa was the lead ship of her class of armoured cruiser constructed for the Spanish Navy. The ship fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish cruiser <i>Cristóbal Colón</i> Armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy, wrecked in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba

Cristóbal Colón was a Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Plutón was a Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

Spanish destroyer <i>Furor</i>

Furor was a Furor-class destroyer of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Squadron (United States Navy)</span> Military unit of the United States Navy

The Flying Squadron was a United States Navy force that operated in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Spanish West Indies during the first half of the Spanish–American War. The squadron included many of America's most modern warships which engaged the Spanish in a blockade of Cuba.

<i>Infanta Maria Teresa</i>-class cruiser

The Infanta Maria Teresa class of three armored cruisers were built for the Spanish Navy between 1889 and 1893. All three were sunk in action against the United States Navy during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898.

USS <i>Wompatuck</i> Tugboat of the United States Navy

USS Wompatuck (YT-27) was an armed tug in commission in the United States Navy from 1898 to 1931. Early in her naval career, she saw combat in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War. After she was decommissioned, she was selected for conversion into the fuel oil barge YO-64, but she was lost in the early days of World War II in the Pacific before the conversion could be completed.

References

  1. ↑ Longworth, Alice Roosevelt (1980). Crowded hours. Signal lives. New York: Arno Press. p. 117. ISBN   978-0-405-12846-2.
  2. ↑ United Press, “Fire Damage To Liner Is Put At $1,000,000,” Riverside Daily Press, Riverside, California, Saturday 10 January 1920, Volume XXXV, Number 9, page 1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.