USS Milwaukee (C-21)

For other ships of the same name, see USS Milwaukee.
USS Milwaukee ca. 1906-1908
Career
Name: Milwaukee
Namesake: The city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Builder: Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California
Laid down: 30 July 1902
Launched: 10 September 1904
Commissioned: 10 December 1906
Decommissioned: 6 March 1917
Struck: 23 June 1919
Fate: Wrecked 13 January 1917
Sold 5 August 1919
General characteristics
Class and type:St. Louis-class protected cruiser
Displacement:9,700 long tons (9,900 t)
Length:426 ft 6 in (130.00 m)
Beam:66 ft (20 m)
Draft:24 ft 10 in (7.57 m)
Speed:22 kn (25 mph; 41 km/h)
Complement:673 officers and men
Armament:14 × 6 in (150 mm) guns
18 × 3 in (76 mm) guns
12 × 3-pounder guns
8 × 1-pounder guns
4 × .30 caliber machine guns

The second USS Milwaukee (C-21) was a St. Louis-class protected cruiser in the United States Navy. Milwaukee was laid down on 30 July 1902 by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California; launched on 10 September 1904; sponsored by Miss Janet Mitchell, daughter of U.S. Senator John L. Mitchell of Wisconsin; and commissioned on 10 December 1906, Commander Charles Augustus Gove in command.

Service history

After a shakedown cruise off the coast of California and Mexico, from March 14 through May 28, 1907, Milwaukee departed San Francisco, California on June 26, 1907 and cruised off the coast of San Salvador and Costa Rica threatening the local population and engaging in target practice with the squadron in Magdalena Bay. On March 26, 1908, the cruiser sailed from San Francisco for Bremerton, Washington, where she was placed in reserve on April 25th. Except for a cruise in the summer of 1908 which took her to Hawaii and to Honduras, the ship remained in reserve status at Puget Sound Navy Yard until decommissioned on May 3, 1910.

Milwaukee was recommissioned in ordinary service on June 17, 1913 and was assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet. In the next two years the ship made several brief cruises, one to Honolulu with a detachment of Washington State Naval Militia from the first through the twenty-second of July 1914, and several along the coast of California. On March 18th of 1916, Milwaukee was detached from the Reserve Fleet and assigned to duty as a tender to destroyers and submarines of the Pacific Fleet. Based at San Diego, the cruiser participated in exercises and maneuvers off the coast, patrolled Mexican waters, transported refugees, and performed survey duty. Milwaukee was then overhauled at Mare Island including the installation of heavy machine tools so the cruiser could act as a tender for the Coast Torpedo Force of destroyers and submarines.[1]

The wreck of the Milwaukee

Milwaukee beached at Eureka, California, in January 1917 after attempting to free the submarine H-3.

Under the temporary command of a lieutenant acting as Coast Torpedo Force Commander,[1] Milwaukee sailed on 5 January 1917 for Eureka, California, to assist in salvaging U.S. submarine H-3 which had run aground off Humboldt Bay on 14 December 1916.[2] On 13 January, while attempting to float the submarine and disregarding the recommendations of local mariners,[1] the cruiser stranded in the first line of breakers at Samoa, California, off Eureka. Four hundred twenty-one enlisted and 17 officers were rescued safely by the Humboldt Bay Life-Saving Station and local volunteers [3] but attempts to salvage the ship were unsuccessful.[4][5][6] H-3 ultimately was salvaged and returned to service.[1]

Decommissioning and fate

Milwaukee decommissioned on 6 March 1917 and a storm in November 1918 broke the ship in two. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 23 June 1919 and her hulk was sold on 5 August 1919.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Haislip, Harvey, CAPT USN (February 1967). "The Valor of Inexperience". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.
  2. ↑ "USS H-3 Salvage Attempts, January 1917". Online Library of Selected Images: Events - The 1910s -- 1917. Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Stranding of USS Milwaukee, 13 January 1917 -- Rescue of the Ship's Crew". Online Library of Selected Images: Events - The 1910s -- 1917. Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Stranding of USS Milwaukee, 13 January 1917". Online Library of Selected Images: Events - The 1910s -- 1917. Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "USS Milwaukee (Cruiser # 21), 1906-1917 -- Later Views of the Ship's Wreck". Online Library of Selected Images: Events - The 1910s -- 1917. Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Stranding of USS H-3 and USS Milwaukee, and salvage of USS H-3, December 1916 - April 1917". Online Library of Selected Images: Events - The 1910s -- 1917. Department of the Navy - Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 6 April 2012.

Bibliography

  • Haislip, Harvey, CAPT USN (February 1967). "The Valor of Inexperience". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links