USS Charleston (C-2)

	USS Charleston at Hong Kong, 1898
History
United States
Name	Charleston
Namesake	Charleston, South Carolina and; Charleston, West Virginia;
Builder	Union Iron Works, San Francisco
Laid down	20 January 1887
Launched	19 July 1888
Sponsored by	Mrs. A. S. Smith
Commissioned	26 December 1889
Decommissioned	27 July 1896
Recommissioned	5 May 1898
Identification	Hull symbol:C-2
Fate	Grounded 2 November 1899 near Camiguin Island, Philippines and abandoned
General characteristics
Type	Protected cruiser
Displacement	3,730 long tons (3,790 t)
Length	320 ft (97.5 m)
Beam	46 ft (14.0 m)
Draft	18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
Installed power	6 × steam boilers ; 2 × Horizontal compound engines; 7,500 kW);
Propulsion	2 × screws
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) designed
Range	2,990 nmi (5,540 km; 3,440 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	34 officers, 296 men, 30 Marines
Armament	2 × 8-inch (203 mm)/35 caliber Mark 3 guns; 6 × 6-inch (152 mm)/30 caliber Mark 3 guns; 4 × 6-pounder (57 mm (2.2 in)) guns; 2 × 3-pounder (47 mm (1.9 in)) guns; 2 × 1-pounder (37 mm (1.5 in)) guns; 2 × .45 caliber (11.4 mm) Gatling guns;
Armor	Gun shields: 3 in (76 mm); Main deck: 3 in (76 mm); Conning Tower: 2 in (51 mm);
Service record
Commanders:	Captain George C. Remey; Captain Henry Glass;
Operations:	Spanish–American War; Capture of Guam;

The second USS Charleston (C-2) was a United States Navy protected cruiser — the fourth US protected cruiser to be built. Lacking experience in building steel cruisers, the design was purchased from the British company Armstrong, Mitchell and Co. of Newcastle, the construction to be by an American shipyard. In design, she succeeded the "ABC" cruisers Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago with better protection, higher speed, and similar armament.^[1]^[2]

She was launched on 19 July 1888 by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California, sponsored by Mrs. A. S. Smith, and commissioned on 26 December 1889, Captain George C. Remey in command.^[3]

Design and construction

Charleston was built with plans purchased from

launched in 1885. USS Baltimore was also built to Armstrong plans. Building Charleston's propulsion machinery proved troublesome; apparently it was a combination of components of several different plants. Union Iron Works had to make costly changes in order to build the ship.^[4]

Charleston was armed with two

Hotchkiss revolving cannon, two 1-pounder (1.5 in (37 mm)) Hotchkiss revolving cannon, and two .45 caliber (11.4 mm) Gatling guns.^[1]^[4] Four 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes were included in the design but never mounted.^[2]

Charleston had 3 in (76 mm) gun shields, 2 in (51 mm) barbettes, and a 2 in (51 mm) conning tower. The complete armored deck was up to 3 in (76 mm) on its sloped sides and 2 in (51 mm) in the middle.^[1]

The engineering plant included six coal-fired cylindrical

triple expansion engines. Unlike some contemporary designs, no sails were fitted. Charleston carried 328 tons of coal for a range of 2,990 nmi (5,540 km; 3,440 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph); this could be increased to 682 tons for 7,477 nmi (13,847 km; 8,604 mi).^[4]

Service history

Pacific, 1890–96

Charleston cleared

1891 Chilean Civil War. Between 19 August and 31 December 1891, Charleston cruised in the Far East as flagship of the Asiatic Squadron, rejoining the Pacific Squadron in 1892 until 7 October, when she departed for the east coast, calling at a number of South American ports en route.^[3]

Charleston arrived in

Columbian Exposition. Taking the review was President Grover Cleveland in despatch vessel USS Dolphin. In the fall of 1893, Charleston turned south to join the strong force patrolling the east coast of South America to protect American interests and shipping from disturbance during the Brazilian Revolution. After a leisurely cruise from Montevideo, Uruguay, she arrived in San Francisco on 8 July 1894 to prepare for a return to the Asiatic Station. She cruised in the Far East until 6 June 1896, when she steamed from Yokohama for San Francisco where she was placed out of commission on 27 July 1896.^[3]

Spanish–American War, 1898–99

Upon the outbreak of the

City of Peking

.

Charleston was sent to raise the American flag over

Agana, then proceeded to Apra Harbor. Leaving the transports safely anchored outside, Charleston sailed boldly into the harbor, firing a challenge at Fort Santa Cruz. Almost at once, a boatload of Spanish authorities came out to apologize for having no gunpowder with which to return the presumed salute. They were astounded to learn that a state of war existed, and that the American ships had come to take the island. The next day the surrender was received by a landing party sent ashore from Charleston. With the Spanish governor and the island's garrison of 69 as prisoners in one of the transports, Charleston then sailed to join Admiral George Dewey's fleet in Manila Bay.^[3]

She arrived Manila on 30 June 1898 to reinforce the victors of the previous month's great naval battle in their close blockade of the Bay. Charleston joined in the final bombardment of 13 August, which brought about the surrender of the city of Manila. She remained in the Philippines through 1898 and 1899, bombarding insurgent positions to aid Army forces advancing ashore, and taking part in the naval expedition that captured Subic Bay in September 1899.^[3]

Loss by wrecking, November 1899

Charleston grounded on Guinápac Rocks (18°58′25″N 122°06′06″E / 18.97361°N 122.10167°E / 18.97361; 122.10167), about 10 miles East by South of Camiguin Island north of Luzon at 5:30am on 2 November 1899.^[6] Wrecked beyond salvage, she was abandoned by all her crew, who made camp on a nearby island, later moving on to Camiguin while the ship's sailing launch was sent for help. On 12 November, gunboat Helena (PG-9) arrived to rescue the shipwrecked men. Charleston was the first steel-hulled ship lost by the US Navy.^[3]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gardiner and Chesneau, p. 151
^ ^a ^b ^c Bauer and Roberts, pp. 142-143
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Charleston II (C-2)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Friedman, pp. 23-25, 458-459
^ DiGiulian, Tony, US 6"/30, 6"/35, and 6"/40 guns at Navweaps.com
^ Bureau of Insular Affairs, U.S. War Department, Pronouncing Gazetteer and Geographical Dictionary of the Philippine Islands. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1902, p.524.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
The White Squadron. Toledo, Ohio: Woolson Spice Co., 1891.
OCLC 45112425

Bibliography

ISBN 0-313-26202-0
.

Beach, Edward L. The United States Navy: 200 Years. New York: H. Holt, 1986.
OCLC 12104038

Burr, Lawrence. US Cruisers 1883–1904: The Birth of the Steel Navy. Oxford: Osprey, 2008.
OCLC 488657946

ISBN 0-87021-718-6
.

Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. New York: Mayflower Books.
ISBN 0-8317-0302-4
.

Mannix, Daniel P. The Old Navy. New York: Macmillan, 1983.
OCLC 9643265

Silverstone, Paul H. The New Navy, 1883–1922. New York: Routledge, 2006.
OCLC 63171106

Spears, John Randolph. The American Navy in the War with Spain . London: Bickers & Son, 1899.
OCLC 12795044

External links

USS Charleston (C-2) photos at Naval History & Heritage Command
Photo gallery of USS CHARLESTON (C 2) at NavSource Naval History
U.S.S. Charleston at SpanAmWar.com

18°58′25″N 122°06′06″E / 18.97361°N 122.10167°E / 18.97361; 122.10167

[Conways1-1] Gardiner and Chesneau, p. 151

[Register1-2] Bauer and Roberts, pp. 142-143

[DANFS-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Charleston II (C-2)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.

[Friedman1-4] Friedman, pp. 23-25, 458-459

[NavWeaps1-5] DiGiulian, Tony, US 6"/30, 6"/35, and 6"/40 guns at Navweaps.com

[6] Bureau of Insular Affairs, U.S. War Department, Pronouncing Gazetteer and Geographical Dictionary of the Philippine Islands. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1902, p.524.

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v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1899
Shipwrecks	4 Mar: HMS Resistance 30 Mar: Stella 24 Apr: Loch Sloy 14 May: Gallia May (unknown date): City of Paris 4 Jun: Lindus, R.G. Stewart 12 Jul: City of York 21 Jul: Nunobiki Maru 26 Jul: Clarence 1 Aug: Benjamin C. Cromwell, James A. Garfield 27 Aug: George Stetson 8 Oct: Caleb Curtis 2 Nov: USS Charleston 2 Dec: Montevideo 3 Dec: Ismore 18 Dec: 115 Unknown date: Zaragoza
Other incidents	January (unknown date): Nubia 13 Feb: Germanic 24 Mar: Willehad June-September : SS Waikato 28 Jul: HMS Royal Sovereign July (unknown date): Oakland, Vigilancia 12 Nov: Gromoboi Unknown date: Frank A. Palmer
1898 1900