USRC ''Hudson'', known for her service during the
Battle of Cárdenas, was the
United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.
The federal government bod ...
's first vessel to have a steel hull and
triple-expansion steam engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure (HP) Cylinder (engine), cylinder, then ha ...
.
Construction
''Hudson'' was built in the Camden, New Jersey shipyards of
John H. Dialogue and Sons and was one of the first Revenue Cutter Service vessels to be completely designed by the service's recently established office of Superintendent of Construction.
All of the blueprints and specifications for ''Hudson'' were turned over to the shipyard contractor and they were expected to build the vessel according to plan. Prior to establishment of the Superintendent's office by
Commandant
Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
Leonard G. Shepard, the general layout of the vessel was left to the contractor.
[Evans, pp 155–156] ''Hudson'' was the first revenue cutter designed with an all steel hull and triple expansion steam engines. Precise metallurgical specifications were used to construct the boiler plates, allowing a 160-pound boiler pressure that allowed the vessel the power to operate very successfully as a tug.
[Evans, p 156] Shepard's successor,
Charles F. Shoemaker, noted in his Revenue Cutter Service annual report of 1897 that this was "the first and only effort at modern cutter construction up to 1895."
[King, p 79] When commissioned on 15 September 1893, ''Hudson'' was named for the
Hudson River
The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
which empties into New York harbor.
History
New York Harbor
The crew of the decommissioned New York harbor tug was sent to ''Hudson'' as the crew and she immediately sailed for New York to assume the duties of a harbor tug after commissioning on 15 September 1893.
Those duties included customs enforcement, checking ship documentation, quarantine enforcement, assistance to merchant ships, and search and rescue.
[King, pp 62–63]
Spanish–American War

''Hudson'' was assigned on 24 March 1898 to duty with the U.S. Navy for the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
.
On 3 April she arrived at the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility ...
at
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
and was outfitted with two six-pound rapid-fire guns and a Colt automatic machine gun.
Additionally, the pilothouse was armored with steel plate.
[Evans, p 169] On 11 May 1898 ''Hudson'', along with the U.S. Navy warships , , and , had pursued three Spanish gunboats into the
Bay of Cardenas, Cuba. There, shore batteries fired on the U.S. vessels and disabled ''Winslow'', knocking out her steering and a boiler, thereby putting ''Winslow'' adrift. The accurate Spanish fire wounded ''Winslow''s commanding officer and killed Ensign
Worth Bagley and three crewmen.
[Evans, p 171] Although under fire from the Spanish guns for over thirty minutes, ''Hudson'', commanded by First Lieutenant
Frank H. Newcomb, sailed into the bay to save the disabled ''Winslow''. Newcomb kept ''Hudson'' positioned in shoal waters near ''Winslow'', until a line was passed to ''Winslow'' and made fast. ''Hudson'' then towed ''Winslow'' out of danger. During the time in the bay, both vessels continually fired on the Spanish positions. ''Hudson'' carried the bodies of those killed as well as the wounded, along with the dispatches of the squadron off Cardenas, to
Havana, Cuba
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.[Key West, Florida
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...](_bl ...<br></span></div>, arriving there on 14 May 1898. She remained there on blockade duty for a short time before departing to <div class=)
. Another period of patrol ended 10 July as she returned to the blockading fleet with further dispatches. ''Hudson'' captured two fishing vessels that attempted to run the blockade off Havana. On 17 August ''Hudson'' was returned to
Treasury Department control and she then departed for Norfolk, via Key West and Savannah, and arrived there on 21 August 1898.
Cardenas Medal
On 27 June 1898, President
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
recommended to Congress that the officers and crew of ''Hudson'' be awarded medals for their heroic actions at the
Bay of Cardenas during the rescue of ''Winslow''. Congress passed legislation awarding the
Cardenas Medal
The Cardenas Medal was an award approved by an act of Congress of the United States on May 3, 1900 (31 Stat. 716, 56th Congress). The award recognizes the crew of the , who showed gallantry in action at the Battle of Cárdenas during the Spanis ...
to the crew of ''Hudson'' on 3 May 1900 (31 Stat. 717, 56th Congress).
[Glassman, "Congressional Gold Medals, 1776–2014", United States Senate, Congressional Research Service, p. 24]
Later service
''Hudson'' arrived at New York on 6 October 1898 where she continued with her traditional duties; however, on 24 October she was ordered to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
to participate in a naval parade. She returned to New York after repairs were completed on 27 October.
On 26 June she patrolled an intercollegiate
regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...
at
Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...
returning to New York harbor afterwards. On 26 January 1909 she had a collision with tow steamer off
The Battery,
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
causing considerable damage to ''Bouker''.
[Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-general..., Penn State University] At the declaration of war on Germany by Congress on 6 April 1917 ''Hudson'' was once again assigned to the U.S. Navy for service during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
On 6 April, she assisted the Collector of Customs at the
Port of New York in transfer of the officers of the seized cruise liner
''Vaterland'' to Ellis Island for
internment
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
.
[Larzelere, pp 190–191] During the war she was assigned port security and customs boarding duties initially, but later outfitted for
minesweeping
Minesweeping is the practice of removing explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpos ...
duties near
Port Jefferson, New York
Port Jefferson, also known as Port Jeff, is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,962 at the time of the 2020 census.
Port J ...
. After December 1917, ''Hudson'' was used to patrol explosive loading barges near the Port of New York.
[Larzelere, pp 183–184] She continued her service with the Navy until returned to Treasury Department control by
Executive Order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...
on 28 August 1919.
''Hudson'' was sent to Norfork for repairs in 1922, and to the
Coast Guard Depot in
Curtis Bay, Maryland
Curtis Bay is a residential / commercial / industrial neighborhood in the southern portion of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
The neighborhood is on steep sloping heights, about four city blocks wide (west to east) and fifteen ...
in 1928; after each yard availability she returned to New York City for regular duties.
She was decommissioned on 3 May 1935 and sold.
Awards
*
Sampson Medal
*
Spanish Campaign Medal
*
World War I Victory Medal
Notes
;Footnotes
;Citations
;References used
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson
Ships of the United States Revenue Cutter Service
Spanish–American War naval ships of the United States
1893 ships
Ships built by Dialogue & Company