USS Puritan (BM-1)
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Puritan |
Ordered | 23 June 1874 |
Builder | Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, Chester, Pennsylvania |
Laid down | 1874 |
Launched | 6 December 1882 |
Commissioned | 10 December 1896 |
Decommissioned | 23 April 1910 |
Stricken | 27 February 1918 |
Fate | Sold, 26 January 1922 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Puritan-class Monitor |
Displacement | 6,060 long tons (6,157 t) |
Length | 296 ft 3 in (90.30 m) |
Beam | 60 ft 1.5 in (18.326 m) |
Draft | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
Depth of hold | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
Propulsion | Steam engine |
Speed | 12.4 knots (23.0 km/h; 14.3 mph) |
Complement | 200 |
Armament |
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Armor |
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The second USS Puritan was a Puritan-class
Construction
On 23 June 1874 President
Because of the level of disrepair of the original Puritan, a new Puritan was built by
By 1891, she had been equipped with four 12-inch (300 mm) guns in barbette turrets, with a plane of fire ten and a half feet (3.2 m) above the water. The armored belt was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) deep, 14 inches (360 mm) thick amidships, with an armor deck of 2 inches (51 mm); barbettes, 14 inches (360 mm); and inclined turrets, 8 inches (200 mm). The original officer quarters were below deck, which were converted to additional crew quarters after new officer quarters were constructed in the superstructure.
Service history
Puritan had a busy career in 1898 during the Spanish–American War. Assigned to the Cuban blockade in April, she joined New York and Cincinnati in shelling Matanzas on the 27th. After a stop at Key West in early May, she departed on the 20th to join the force building under Rear Admiral William T. Sampson that would eventually move against Santiago. Puritan linked up on the 22nd and Sampson moved his ships to Key Frances on the Nicholas Channel in order to execute his plan to contain the Spanish Fleet at Santiago. The success of Sampson's squadron at Santiago on 3 July resulted in almost the complete destruction of the Spanish Fleet. After Cuba, she sailed for Puerto Rico where she landed a party of US Marines and shelled the Spanish positions at the Battle of Fajardo.
Following wartime service, Puritan served as a practice ship for the
In March 1910, it was proposed by a commodore that the monitors in service with the U.S. Navy, including Puritan,
She was struck from the Navy List 27 February 1918 and, with the submarine USS Plunger (SS-2) on board, was one of several vessels sold on 26 January 1922, to J. G. Hitner and W. F. Cutler of Philadelphia.
References
- ISSN 0036-8733.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.