USS Recruit (1917)

Last updated

USS Recruit (1917).jpg
The Landship Recruit under construction in Union Square in 1917.
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS Recruit
BuilderUSN
Commissioned1917
Decommissioned1920
FateDismantled
General characteristics
Length200 ft (61.0 m)
Beam40 ft (12.192 m)
Complement40
ArmamentWooden guns

USS Recruit, also known as the Landship Recruit, was a wooden mockup of a dreadnought battleship constructed by the United States Navy in Manhattan in New York City, as a recruiting tool and training ship during the First World War. Commissioned as if it were a normal vessel of the U.S. Navy and manned by a crew of trainee sailors, Recruit was located in Union Square from 1917 until the end of the war. In 1920, with the reduced requirements for manning in the post-war Navy, Recruit was decommissioned and dismantled, having recruited 25,000 sailors into Navy service.

Contents

Description

Operating as the U.S. Navy's headquarters for recruiting in the New York City district, Recruit was a fully rigged battleship, and was operated as a commissioned ship of the U.S. Navy. [1] Under the command of Acting Captain C. F. Pierce and with a complement of thirty-nine bluejackets from the Newport Training Station for crew, Recruit served as a training ship in addition to being a recruiting office. [2] The Navy also offered public access and tours of the ship, allowing civilians to familiarize themselves with how a Navy warship was operated. [1]

The accommodations aboard Recruit included fore and aft examination rooms, full officer's quarters, a wireless station, a heating and ventilation system that was capable of changing the temperature of the air inside the ship ten times within the span of an hour, and cabins for the accommodation of the sailors of its crew. [1]

Two high cage masts, a conning tower, and a single dummy smokestack matched Recruit's silhouette to the layout of seagoing U.S. battleships of the time. Three twin turrets contained a total of six wooden versions of 14-inch (360 mm) guns, providing the ship's 'main battery'. Ten wooden 5-inch (130 mm) guns in casemates represented the secondary anti-torpedo-boat weaponry of a battleship, while two replicas of one-pounder saluting guns completed the ship's 'armament'. [1]

Events

Recruit on Union Square USS Recruit in Union Square NYC 1917.jpg
Recruit on Union Square

Following its completion and commissioning, the Landship Recruit hosted a variety of different events and receptions intended to bring civilians aboard the ship, the first of which took place on the afternoon of 8 September 1917. [3] Some events were of a patriotic nature in keeping with the wartime spirit, including the presentation and unfurling of a recreated Betsy Ross American flag, [4] while others were purely social events, including dances for New York's socialites. [5]

Fate

After spending over two years in Union Square, the Landship Recruit was decommissioned and dismantled, the Navy intending to move it to Coney Island's Luna Park, where it would be maintained as a recruiting depot following its success at its Union Square location; [6] Recruit struck its colors on 16 March 1920; [6] The New York Times reported that the "Landship" had helped the U.S. Navy recruit 25,000 men into the service [6] —625 times the size of her own crew, and enough to crew twenty-eight Nevada-class battleships. However, the cost of a move to Coney Island proved to exceed the value of the materials used in the vessel, so following its dismantling it was never reassembled, the materials being most likely reused in local projects. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Arizona</i> (BB-39) United States Navy battleship sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona was a battleship built for the United States Navy in the mid-1910s. Named in honor of the 48th state, she was the second and last ship in the Pennsylvania class. After being commissioned in 1916, Arizona remained stateside during World War I but escorted President Woodrow Wilson to the subsequent Paris Peace Conference. The ship was deployed abroad again in 1919 to represent American interests during the Greco-Turkish War. Two years later, she was transferred to the Pacific Fleet, under which the ship would remain for the rest of her career.

USS <i>Maine</i> (1889) Battleship of the United States Navy

Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April. U.S. newspapers, engaging in yellow journalism to boost circulation, claimed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship's destruction. The phrase, "Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!" became a rallying cry for action. Although the Maine explosion was not a direct cause, it served as a catalyst that accelerated the events leading up to the war.

USS <i>Massachusetts</i> (BB-2) Indiana-class battleship of the United States Navy

USS Massachusetts was an Indiana-class, pre-dreadnought battleship and the second United States Navy ship comparable to foreign battleships of its time. Authorized in 1890, and commissioned six years later, she was a small battleship, though with heavy armor and ordnance. The ship class also pioneered the use of an intermediate battery. She was designed for coastal defense and as a result, her decks were not safe from high waves on the open ocean.

USS <i>New Mexico</i> (BB-40) Dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS New Mexico (BB-40) was a battleship in service with the United States Navy from 1918 to 1946. She was the lead ship of a class of three battleships, and the first ship to be named for the state of New Mexico. Her keel was laid down on 14 October 1915 at the New York Navy Yard, from which she was launched on 23 April 1917 and commissioned on 20 May 1918. New Mexico was the U.S. Navy's most advanced warship and its first battleship with a turbo-electric transmission, which helped her reach a maximum speed of 21 knots.

USS <i>North Dakota</i> (BB-29) Dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS North Dakota (BB-29) was a dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy, the second member of the Delaware class, her only sister ship being Delaware. North Dakota was laid down at the Fore River Shipyard in December 1907, was launched in November 1908, and commissioned into the US Navy in April 1910. She was armed with a main battery of ten 12-inch (305 mm) guns and was capable of a top speed of 21 kn. North Dakota was the first vessel of the US Navy to be named after the 39th state.

USS <i>Kentucky</i> (BB-6) Kearsarge-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Kentucky (BB-6), was the second and final Kearsarge-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the United States Navy in the 1890s. Designed for coastal defense, the Kearsarge-class battleships had a low freeboard and heavy armor. The ships carried an armament of four 13-inch (330 mm) and four 8-inch (203 mm) guns in an unusual two-story turret arrangement. The Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Virginia laid down her keel on 30 June 1896. She was launched on 24 March 1898 and was commissioned on 15 May 1900.

USS <i>Oklahoma</i> (BB-37) Dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was a Nevada-class battleship built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation for the United States Navy, notable for being the first American class of oil-burning dreadnoughts. Commissioned in 1916, the ship served in World War I as a part of Battleship Division Six, protecting Allied convoys on their way across the Atlantic. After the war, she served in both the United States Battle Fleet and Scouting Fleet. Oklahoma was modernized between 1927 and 1929. In 1936, she rescued American citizens and refugees from the Spanish Civil War. On returning to the West Coast in August of the same year, Oklahoma spent the rest of her service in the Pacific.

USS <i>Ohio</i> (BB-12) Pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Ohio (BB-12), a Maine-class pre-dreadnought battleship, was the third ship of her class and the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the 17th state. She was laid down at the Union Iron Works shipyard in San Francisco in April 1899, was launched in May 1901, and was commissioned into the fleet in October 1904. She was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and could steam at a top speed of 18 knots.

USS <i>Connecticut</i> (BB-18) Pre-dreadnought United States battleship

USS Connecticut (BB-18), the fourth United States Navy ship to be named after the state of Connecticut, was the lead ship of her class of six pre-dreadnought battleships. Her keel was laid on 10 March 1903; launched on 29 September 1904, Connecticut was commissioned on 29 September 1906, as the most advanced ship in the US Navy.

USS <i>Michigan</i> (BB-27) Dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Michigan (BB-27), a South Carolina-class battleship, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 26th state. She was the second member of her class, the first dreadnought battleships built for the US Navy. She was laid down in December 1906, launched in May 1908, and commissioned into the fleet 4 January 1910. Michigan and South Carolina were armed with a main battery of eight 12-inch (305 mm) guns in superfiring twin gun turrets; they were the first dreadnoughts to feature this arrangement.

USS <i>Iowa</i> (BB-61) Iowa-class battleship

USS Iowa (BB-61) is a retired battleship, the lead ship of her class, and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named after the state of Iowa. Owing to the cancellation of the Montana-class battleships, Iowa is the last lead ship of any class of United States battleships and was the only ship of her class to serve in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironclad warship</span> Steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates

An ironclad is a steam-propelled warship protected by iron or steel armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, Gloire, was launched by the French Navy in November 1859 – narrowly pre-empting the British Royal Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Target ship</span> Ship that is shot at for practice

A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used as a seaborne target for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. Targets may be used with the intention of testing effectiveness of specific types of ammunition; or the target ship may be used for an extended period of routine target practice with specialized non-explosive ammunition. The potential consequences of a drifting wreck require careful preparation of the target ship to prevent pollution, or a floating or submerged collision risk for maritime navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James H. Glennon</span> United States Navy admiral

James Henry Glennon was a United States Navy officer. He saw action in the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, and World War I.

<i>John C. Butler</i>-class destroyer escort Class of American destroyer escorts

The John C. Butler class were destroyer escorts that originated during World War II. The lead ship was USS John C. Butler, commissioned on 31 March 1944. The class was also known as the WGT type from their Westinghouse geared turbine drive. Of the 293 ships originally planned, 206 were canceled in 1944 and a further four after being laid down; three were not completed until after the end of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of the United States Navy</span> Flagship museum of the United States Navy

The National Museum of the United States Navy, or U.S. Navy Museum for short, is the flagship museum of the United States Navy and is located in the former Breech Mechanism Shop of the old Naval Gun Factory on the grounds of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., United States.

Three ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Recruit:

USS <i>Recruit</i> (TDE-1) Landlocked training ship in San Diego, California

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy operations during World War I</span>

United States Navy operations during World War I began on April 6, 1917, after the formal declaration of war on the German Empire. The United States Navy focused on countering enemy U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea while convoying men and supplies to France and Italy. Because of United States's late entry into the war, her capital ships never engaged the German fleet and few decisive submarine actions occurred.

USS <i>Fitzgerald</i> and MV <i>ACX Crystal</i> collision 2017 maritime accident

Early on 17 June 2017, the United States Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with MV ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, about 80 nautical miles southwest of Tokyo, Japan; 10 nautical miles southeast of the city of Shimoda on the Japanese mainland (Honshu).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The "Recruit" – Our Only Land Battleship". Popular Science Monthly. New York: Modern Publishing. 91 (2): 212–213. August 1917.
  2. Thompson, Holland; William Matthew Flinders Petrie; James Bryce Bryce (2010). The Book of History: The Events of 1916 ... 1917 and Summary. Nabu Press. p. 739. ISBN   978-1-146-93246-2.
  3. "A Reception on Landship Recruit", The New York Times, 8 September 1917. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  4. "Betsy Ross Sewing Party", The New York Times 8 March 1918. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  5. Shorpy, Shorpy.com presentation of period photograph with caption describing activities on board ship.
  6. 1 2 3 "Landship Recruit sails", The New York Times , 17 March 1920. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  7. La Gorce, Tammy (9 April 2017). "In New York, a Battleship That Never Left Dry Land". The New York Times . New York. p. MB4. Retrieved 3 November 2017.

40°44′08″N73°59′26″W / 40.7356°N 73.9906°W / 40.7356; -73.9906