USS ''Yankee'' was originally ''El Norte'', a
steamer launched 14 June 1892 and delivered 15 August 1892 at
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...
, by the
Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. for the
Southern Pacific Railroad's Morgan Line. The ship was acquired by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
from the
Southern Pacific Company
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...
on 6 April 1898. The ship was renamed and commissioned at
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
on 14 April 1898,
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
Willard H. Brownson in command.
Career
Spanish–American War
After fitting out as an auxiliary cruiser, the ship joined in 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 ...
and patrolled the coastal waters between
Block Island
Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...
and
Cape Henlopen
Cape Henlopen is the southern cape of the Delaware Bay along the Atlantic coast of the United States. It lies in the state of Delaware, near the town of Lewes, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Off the coast on the bay side are two ...
until 27 May. That day, ''Yankee'' stopped at
Tompkinsville Tompkinsville may refer to:
*Tompkinsville, Kentucky
*Tompkinsville, Maryland
*Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York
** Tompkinsville (Staten Island Railway station)
{{geodis ...
, New York to
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
ship. On 29 May, she returned to sea and shaped a southerly course to join the fleet off
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. ''En route'', she touched briefly at
St. Nicholas Mole, Haiti, on the evening of 2 June and then continued on toward Cuba. Early the following morning, ''Yankee'' joined the blockade off
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana.
The municipality extends over , and contains t ...
and conducted patrols there for the next five days.
Battle of Guantánamo Bay
On the morning of 6 June, she dueled shore batteries briefly and, near Santiago and on 7 June, joined ''Marblehead'' and ''St. Louis'' for a cable cutting incursion into
Guantanamo Bay. While ''St. Louis'' dragged for and cut the three cables, ''Yankee'' and ''Marblehead'' covered her activities by
engaging the Spanish gunboats ''Alvarado'' and ''Sandoval''. After putting the Spanish gunboats to flight, the two American warships turned their attention toward the
fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
at
Caimanera
Caimanera is a municipality and town in Guantánamo Province on the south eastern coast of Cuba. It is a fishing village and port built on the west shore of the sheltered Guantánamo Bay, just north of the US naval base and south of the provincia ...
which had been making a nuisance of itself with its single large-caliber gun—a venerable, smooth-bore muzzleloader. As ''Yankee'' and ''Marblehead'' silenced their last adversary, ''St. Louis'' completed her cable-cutting mission; and the three ships exited the bay.
''Yankee'' then briefly resumed blockade duty off Santiago, but on 8 June got underway for
St. Nicholas Mole with dispatches. On 9 June, just before she arrived at her destination, the auxiliary cruiser stopped two merchantmen and inspected them. They turned out to be the Norwegian SS ''Norse'' and the British SS ''Ely'', so ''Yankee'' allowed them to proceed on their way. She completed her mission at Haiti and returned to Santiago early the following morning. At about noon on 10 June, ''Yankee'' set a course for
Port Antonio
Port Antonio () is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991. It is the island's third largest port, famous as a shipping point for ...
, Jamaica, to deliver dispatches and to search for the suspected blockade runner SS ''Purissima Concepcion''. After delivering the dispatches at
Port Antonio
Port Antonio () is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991. It is the island's third largest port, famous as a shipping point for ...
on 10 June. and visiting
Montego Bay
Montego Bay () is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth most populous urban area in the country, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore ...
in search of ''Purissima Concepcion'', the warship returned to the Santiago area on 12 June. However, that same day, she received orders to move again, this time to
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...
, about halfway up the southern coast of Cuba from Santiago, to stand guard there against ''Purissima Concepcion''s expected run.
Action off Cienfuegos
The auxiliary cruiser arrived off Cienfuegos on 13 June and began patrolling the approaches to the harbor. At about 13:15 that afternoon, she spied a steamer standing out of the port toward her. Identifying the stranger as the Spanish gunboat ''Diego Velázquez'', ''Yankee'' cleared for
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person
* Action principles the heart of fundamental physics
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video gam ...
and closed the enemy. At about range, the American ship put her helm over, unmasked her port battery, and opened fire. The Spanish gunboat, markedly inferior to ''Yankee'' in armament, opted for a running fight in which she presented the smallest possible target and in which ''Yankee'' could bring only one or two of her guns to bear without turning away from her target's course. Consequently, ''Diego Velázquez'' came about and headed back toward Cienfuegos, firing as she went. ''Yankee'' followed, shooting her port forecastle gun constantly and periodically turning to starboard to unmask her entire port battery. Ultimately, ''Diego Velázquez'' reached safety under the protection of
Sabanilla Battery, and the gunboat ''Lince'' came out to join her in the fray. ''Yankee'' continued to fire her port battery as she passed the two gunboats and shore battery abeam at about range. She completed one pass and then put the helm to port and came about for another pass, this time bringing her starboard battery into action for the first time. During ''Yankee''s second pass, ''Diego Velázquez'' and ''Lince'' abandoned the fight and sought refuge in Cienfuegos harbor. ''Yankee'' continued firing on Sabanilla Battery until 15:00 and then withdrew to her blockade station off the harbor.
''Yankee'' remained off Cienfuegos for two days. On 14 June, there was a brief moment of anxiety when a large man-of-war started out of the harbor. ''Yankee'' cleared for action and stood in toward the warship, but all hands breathed a sigh of relief when the newcomer was identified as the neutral German SMS ''Geier''. The following afternoon, the auxiliary cruiser gave up her vigil for ''Purissima Concepcion'' off Cienfuegos and set a course back to the eastern end of Cuba. She rejoined the Santiago blockade on 16 June but put into the anchorage at Guantanamo Bay the following day to take on coal. Late on 18 June, the ship returned to sea bound once more for blockade duty off Cienfuegos. On 19 June, during the passage from Guantanamo Bay to Cienfuegos, ''Yankee'' stopped and inspected two sailing vessels—a British schooner and a Norwegian bark—and a steamer, the British SS ''Adula''. All three had their papers in order, and the auxiliary cruiser allowed them to proceed unmolested. That evening, she arrived off Cienfuegos and began cruising on blockade station between that port and
Casilda
Casilda is a city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe, Argentina. It is the head town of the Caseros Department, and lies about west of Rosario and 202 km south-southwest of the provincial capital Santa Fe, ...
.
Action off Casilda
At about 08:30 on the morning of 20 June, ''Yankee'' sighted a steamer lying in Casilda harbor closely fitting the description of ''Purissima Concepcion''. The American ship stood in as close to the shoals as she dared and then fired a shot across the steamer's bow in an unsuccessful effort to make her show her colors. Instead, the merchantman began preparations for getting underway. Yankee responded by opening a steady fire at extreme range. As the supposed Spanish steamer moved farther into shoal water and disappeared behind some islets, ''Yankee'' shifted fire to an enemy gunboat and a floating battery, both of which had opened an ineffective fire upon her. The extreme range—in excess of —made the gunfire from both sides so ineffective that ''Yankee'' broke off the engagement and resumed her patrols between Casilda and Cienfuegos. The auxiliary cruiser continued her blockade of that stretch of the Cuban coast until 24 June, when her dwindling supply of coal forced her to head for
Key West
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 Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
. ''En route'' to that base, she visited the
Isle of Pines where she captured and destroyed five Spanish fishing vessels on 25 June.
Blockade of Cuba
''Yankee'' arrived in Key West on 27 June and began taking on coal. She completed her refueling operation and departed Key West on 3 July, bound for New York, where she arrived two days later. She remained at New York until 12 July, taking on ammunition for transportation to the Eastern Squadron on the Cuban blockade. On 13 July, she reached
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
, where she spent another four days taking on additional ammunition for the ships of the blockading squadron. ''Yankee'' left
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...
on 17 July and arrived in Guantanamo Bay four days later. There, she began the tedious but dangerous job of transferring her cargo of ammunition to the various warships in the anchorage. The ship remained at Guantanamo Bay until 11 August, when she resumed blockade duty, patrolling initially in search of the armed merchant ship ''Montserrat''. Three days later, while she cruised the northern coast of Cuba, ''Yankee'' received word of the cessation of hostilities in response to Spain's suit for peace. She reentered Guantanamo Bay on the afternoon of 15 August and remained there until 24 August when she headed home.
Training ship
''Yankee'' stopped briefly at Tompkinsville at the end of August and then made a round-trip voyage to
League Island
League Island was an island in the Delaware River, part of the city of Philadelphia, just upstream from the mouth of the Schuylkill River. The island was developed as the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Since the late 20th century, it has been re ...
, and back to Tompkinsville at the beginning of September. She returned to League Island on 19 September. There, her crew of
New York Naval Militia
The New York Naval Militia is the naval militia of the state of New York, and is under the authority of the Governor of New York as Commander-In-Chief of the state's military forces. With the New York Guard, the New York Army National Guard and ...
reservists left the ship to return home via train for mustering out. Though she remained in commission technically until decommissioned on 16 March 1899, ''Yankee'' spent the interim at League Island. That location also remained her home for the more than three years she spent in reserve. Her inactivity ended when she was placed back in commission on 1 May 1903, Commander G. P. Colvocoressee in command.
Following recommissioning, ''Yankee'' served along the east coast between
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
and the
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
coast training landsmen in the ways of the sea. Early in December 1903, she headed south for winter maneuvers and gunnery drills with the North Atlantic Fleet in the gulf and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
around
Hispaniola
Hispaniola (, also ) is an island between Geography of Cuba, Cuba and Geography of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and the second-largest by List of C ...
. ''Yankee'' served at
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
to help restore order and to straighten out the country's financial muddle. On 1 February, the ship was fired upon by rebel troops. In response, the United States sent the
protected cruiser
Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...
s
USS ''Columbia'' and
USS ''Newark''. In the
Santo Domingo Affair, the two ships bombarded the city and sent a landing party ashore on 11 February.
After visiting a number of West Indian ports in conjunction with the exercises, she returned north late in March 1904, and on 6 April, was moored to a pier at League Island where she remained until October. On 16 October, she got underway for Newport News to embark 400 landsmen there before resuming her training schedule.
In December, ''Yankee'' made a round-trip voyage to
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
to exchange marine garrisons in the Canal Zone. She disembarked some of the returning marines at Hampton Roads on 31 December 1904 and on New Year's Day 1905 pushed on toward Tompkinsville to deliver the remainder. After a return voyage to Newport News, she headed for League Island where she entered the navy yard for repairs on 13 January.
Occupation of the Dominican Republic
The ship completed those repairs on 9 March and loaded men, stores, and ammunition at Tompkinsville from 10 to 12 March before getting underway for the West Indies. For the next seventeen months, the island of Hispaniola, Cuba's neighbor to the east, became her center of operations. Successive coups since assassination of the dictator Heureaux in 1899 had added civil strife and anarchy to the list of woes of a country already racked by desperate financial problems. ''Yankee'' spent most of her time in Dominican waters and ports, departing infrequently for replenishment stops at such American bases as Key West and Guantanamo Bay and made one voyage back to New York in July 1905 for repairs at the
New York Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
.
On 20 August 1906 she had a very minor collision with a float being towed by in the
East River
The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...
. The ship, by then classified as a transport, left for Santo Domingo on 21 August 1906 and after participating in the Presidential
Naval Review
A Naval Review is an event where select vessels and assets of the United States Navy are paraded to be reviewed by the President of the United States or the Secretary of the Navy. Due to the geographic distance separating the modern U.S. Na ...
held at
Oyster Bay from 2 to 4 September, she unloaded stores at New York in preparation for inactivation. On 25 September, ''Yankee'' was again placed out of commission at
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. Sometime during the next two years, she was moved to the
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...
, for it was at that location that she was once again commissioned on 15 June 1908, Commander
Charles C. Marsh in command.
Sinking
After shakedown early in July, the ship resumed a familiar duty—training. With naval militia reservists or Naval Academy midshipmen embarked, she spent the summer of 1908 cruising the Atlantic coast between
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
and Chesapeake Bay. On 23 September 1908, during one such training exercise, ''Yankee'' ran aground on
Spindle Rock near Hen and Chickens lightship. She remained there until refloated on 4 December by the
Arbuckle Wrecking Company. Her reprieve however, was short-lived. While being towed to
New Bedford
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...
on the day she was refloated, she sank in
Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) long by 8 miles (12 kilometers) wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Buzzards ...
. ''Yankee''s name was finally struck from the
Naval Vessel Register
The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
on 17 April 1912. Her boilers and other equipment were salvaged in 1917–1918.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yankee (1892)
Shipwrecks of the Massachusetts coast
Ships built in Newport News, Virginia
1892 ships
Yankee
The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Their various meanings depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, the Northeastern United Stat ...
Maritime incidents in 1908