SS Saint Paul (1895)
 SS Saint Paul under steam
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Saint Paul |
| Builder | William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia |
| Yard number | 278 |
| Launched | 10 April 1895 |
| Acquired | by charter, 12 March 1898 |
| Commissioned | 20 April 1898 |
| Decommissioned | 2 September 1898 |
| Recommissioned | 27 October 1917 |
| Decommissioned | 14 January 1919 |
| Fate | Returned to owner, 24 March 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Auxiliary cruiser |
| Displacement | 14,910 long tons (15,150 t) |
| Length | 553 ft 2 in (168.61 m) |
| Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Speed | 22 kn (25 mph; 41 km/h) |
| Complement | 381 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | |
SS Saint Paul was a trans-Atlantic ocean liner named for the capital of Minnesota.
Saint Paul was launched on 10 April 1895 by
Service history
Spanish–American War
Departing Philadelphia on 5 May 1898, Saint Paul's first assignment was to cruise in search of Admiral
Saint Paul arrived off San Juan on the morning of 22 June. Shortly after midday, in the second battle of San Juan, the Spanish cruiser Isabel II, emerged from the harbor and, remaining under protection of shore batteries, opened fire on Saint Paul at long range without success. Isabel II was joined shortly by the destroyer Terror, which attempted to close Saint Paul to launch torpedoes. Saint Paul took Terror under heavy fire, scoring at least one direct hit which heavily damaged the destroyer. Terror gave up the attack and returned to port, followed by Isabel II. Saint Paul was relieved by Yosemite off San Juan on the 26th and made for New York to coal.
Saint Paul spent the remainder of her Spanish–American War service as a transport, operating for 48 days in July–August as a War Department vessel. She landed troops at Siboney, Cuba, and Arroyo, Puerto Rico, subsequently returning soldiers from Guantanamo Bay to New York City through 15 August. Entering the Cramp shipyard on 22 August for re-conversion to mercantile service, Saint Paul was decommissioned on 2 September and returned to her owner the same day.
Collision
On 25 April 1908, outward bound from
World War I
Saint Paul was again taken over for wartime service on 27 October 1917. Operated by the
Saint Paul entered the
Post-war
Placed in temporary commission on 14 January 1919 for the purpose of fixing responsibility for her care outside the Navy Yard, Saint Paul soon began reconversion for mercantile service. Returned to her owner on 24 March 1919, Saint Paul was scrapped in Germany in 1923.
Postage stamp
As part of the celebrations surrounding the 1901 Pan-American Exposition a set of six commemorative postage stamps were issued. The highest value, 10 cents, shows Saint Paul under steam.[2] While the three lowest stamps in the series include rare inverted printings, no errors are known for this issue.
References
- ISBN 978-1899392285.
- ^ "US Stamps of 1901: Pan-American Issue - American Line Steamship Stamp". www.usstampstories.com.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
Media related to USS Saint Paul (SP-1643)- Photo gallery of USS Saint Paul at NavSource Naval History
- Video dedicated to the ocean liner SS St. Paul
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1908 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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