USS Massachusetts (BB-2)
Massachusetts in 1901
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Massachusetts |
Namesake | Massachusetts |
Ordered | 30 June 1890 |
Builder | William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia |
Laid down | 25 June 1891 |
Launched | 10 June 1893 |
Commissioned | 10 June 1896 |
Decommissioned | 8 January 1906 |
Recommissioned | 2 May 1910 |
Decommissioned | 23 May 1914 |
Recommissioned | 9 June 1917 |
Renamed | Coast Battleship Number 2 29 March 1919 |
Decommissioned | 31 March 1919 |
Stricken | 22 November 1920 |
Fate | Scuttled, 6 January 1921 |
General characteristics [1][2][3] | |
Class and type | Indiana-class pre-dreadnought battleship |
Displacement | 10,288 long tons (10,453 t) standard |
Length | 350 ft 11 in (107.0 m) |
Beam | 69 ft 3 in (21.1 m) |
Draft | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) (design) |
Range | 4,900 nmi (9,100 km; 5,600 mi)[a] |
Complement | 473 officers and men |
Armament |
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Armor |
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USS Massachusetts (BB-2) | |
Location | Escambia County, Florida, US |
Nearest city | Pensacola, Florida, US |
Coordinates | 30°17′49″N 87°18′41″W / 30.29694°N 87.31139°W |
Area | c. 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
NRHP reference No. | 01000528[4] |
FUAP No. | 4 |
Added to NRHP | 31 May 2001 |
USS Massachusetts was an Indiana-class, pre-dreadnought battleship and the second United States Navy ship comparable to foreign battleships of its time.[5] 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.
Massachusetts served in the
Although considered obsolete in 1910, the battleship was recommissioned and used for annual cruises for
Design
Massachusetts was constructed from a modified version of a design drawn up by a policy board in 1889 for a short-range battleship. The original design was part of an ambitious naval construction plan to build 33 battleships and 167 smaller ships. The United States Congress saw the plan as an attempt to end the US policy of isolationism and did not approve it, but a year later approved funding for three coast defense battleships, which would become Massachusetts and her sister ships Indiana and Oregon.[6] The ships were limited to coastal defense due to their moderate endurance, relatively small displacement and low freeboard which limited seagoing capability.[7] The ships proved to be disappointments in service, as they were badly overweight upon completion, their low freeboard hampered operations at sea, and they handled poorly.[8] Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships describes her design as "attempting too much on a very limited displacement."[9] They were nevertheless the first modern battleships for the American fleet.[8][9]
Massachusetts was 351 feet 2 inches (107.04 m)
The ship was armed with a
Massachusetts's main
Service history
Construction and early career
Construction of the ships was authorized on 30 June 1890, and the contract for Massachusetts—not including guns and armor—was awarded to
Massachusetts was commissioned on 10 June 1896, with
Spanish–American War
After the outbreak of the
During the next month Massachusetts took part in the blockade of Santiago de Cuba, occasionally bombarding the harbor forts.[17] On the night of 2–3 July, she and the two cruisers New Orleans and Newark, left the blockade to load coal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[24] This caused her to miss the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, on 3 July, in which the Spanish fleet attempted to break through the blockade and was completely destroyed.[25] The next day the battleship came back to Santiago de Cuba, where she and Texas fired at the disarmed Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes, which was being scuttled by the Spanish, in an attempt to block the harbor entrance channel.[26] Massachusetts was then sent to Puerto Rico, to support the American occupation until she steamed home to New York, on 1 August, arriving on 20 August.[17]
Post Spanish–American War
After a quick overhaul in
In March 1901, the battleship grounded again, this time in the harbor of
On 2 May 1910, Massachusetts was placed in reduced commission so she could be used for the annual
World War I and fate
After the United States entered World War I, Massachusetts was recommissioned for the final time, on 9 June 1917. She was used by
Massachusetts was struck from the
Eventually Massachusetts was declared the property of the State of Florida, by the Supreme Court of Florida. On 10 June 1993—the centennial anniversary of her launching—the site became the fourth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve. In 2001, the wreck also was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it still serves as an artificial reef and diving spot.[41]
Footnotes
- ^ Experimental data for Indiana and Massachusetts was lumped together and the rounded average calculated. See Bryan 1901.
- DANFSsays six tubes, while Friedman states the contract called for seven tubes, but Massachusetts was completed with five.
Citations
- ^ Reilly & Scheina 1980, pp. 58, 63, 68.
- ^ a b Friedman 1985, p. 425.
- ^ Bryan 1901.
- ^ National Register Information System.
- ^ Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 67.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Gardiner & Lambert 1992, p. 121.
- ^ a b Friedman 1985, pp. 17, 20–29.
- ^ a b c d Campbell 1979, p. 140.
- ^ Friedman 1985, pp. 83, 425.
- ^ Friedman 1985, p. 27.
- ^ The New York Times & 1 December 1890.
- ^ a b Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 69.
- ^ a b The New York Times & 12 March 1896.
- ^ The New York Times & 10 June 1893.
- ^ The New York Times & 26 April 1896.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j DANFS Massachusetts (BB-2).
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, p. 93–94.
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, pp. 116, 120.
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, pp. 141–162.
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, pp. 164–167.
- ^ DANFS Indiana (BB-1).
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, p. 203.
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, pp. 299–300.
- ^ The New York Times & 26 July 1898.
- ^ Graham & Schley 1902, pp. 471–472.
- ^ The New York Times & 11 December 1898.
- ^ The New York Times & 1 April 1899.
- ^ The New York Times & 14 April 1900.
- ^ The New York Times & 6 June 1900.
- ^ The New York Times & 25 March 1901.
- ^ The New York Times & 23 March 1901.
- ^ Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 56.
- ^ The New York Times & 23 August 1903.
- ^ The New York Times & 15 December 1904.
- ^ The New York Times & 8 January 1906.
- ^ Reilly & Scheina 1980, p. 62.
- ^ The New York Times & 1 December 1911.
- ^ The New York Times & 4 February 1912.
- ^ Tucker, p. 1143.
- ^ Museums in the Sea.
References
Print references
- Bryan, B. C. (1901). "The Steaming Radius of United States Naval Vessels". Journal of the American Society for Naval Engineers. 13 (1): 50–69. . (subscription required)
- Campbell, N. J. M. (1979). "United States of America". In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 114–169. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- ISBN 0-87021-715-1.
- Gardiner, Robert; Lambert, Andrew D. (1992). Steam, Steel & Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-564-0.
- Graham, George E.; OCLC 1866852.
- Reilly, John C.; Scheina, John C. (1980). American Battleships 1886–1923: Predreadnought Design and Construction. London: ISBN 0-85368-446-4.
- Tucker, Spencer (2013). Almanac of American Military History. Vol. I. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598845303.
The New York Times
- "The new American navy; Secretary Tracy reports in favor of progress" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 1 December 1890. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- "Another powerful war vessel; builders trial of the Massachusetts tuesday" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 12 March 1896. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- "New battle ship launched; the Massachusetts floated in the broad Delaware" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 10 June 1893. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- "The best in the world; record breaking trial of the battleship Massachusetts" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 26 April 1896. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- "Sampson's story of the battle; official report of the destruction of Cervera's squadron" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 26 July 1898. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- "The Massachusetts hurt; battleships strikes a sunken obstruction off Governors Island" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 11 December 1898. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- "Massachusetts leaves dock" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 1 April 1899. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- "Navy short of officers; there are not enough to keep warships in commission" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 14 April 1900. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- "Hurry order to the navy; department wants to find Out what can Be done in an emergency" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 6 June 1900. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- "Why the Massachusetts grounded" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 25 March 1901. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- "Movements of naval vessels" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 23 March 1901. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- "The Massachusetts in port; battleship recently injured on a rock" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 23 August 1903. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- "Three killed on battleship" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 15 December 1904. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- "Reconstructed Indiana ready" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 8 January 1906. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- "Meyer wants navy ever ready for war" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 1 December 1911. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- "Admiral Knights's command" (PDF). The New York Times. New York City. 4 February 1912. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
Other
- "Indiana". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- "Massachusetts". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 9 July 2010.
- "USS Massachusetts learn about the history audio transcript" (PDF). Florida's "Museums in the Sea". Retrieved 23 July 2010.
External links
- Photo gallery of Massachusetts at NavSource Naval History
- MaritimeQuest USS Massachusetts BB-2 Photo Gallery
- Museums in the Sea USS Massachusetts