SS ''Yorktown'' was launched February 10, 1894, by
Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
,
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
for the
Old Dominion Steamship Company for the company's overnight
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
/
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
service. The
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
purchased ''Yorktown'' on April 21, 1898, to be commissioned as the second USS ''Resolute'', an
auxiliary cruiser
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
and
transport
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...
that saw naval service during the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
1898–1899. The
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...
acquired the ship on January 22, 1900, for service as the
United States Army Transport
During World War II the U.S. Army operated approximately 127,800 watercraft of various types.) Those included large troop and cargo transport ships that were Army-owned hulls, vessels allocated by the War Shipping Administration, bareboat chart ...
(USAT) ''Rawlings''. The ship was sold to the
Merchants and Miners Transportation Company
Merchants and Miners Transportation Company, often called M&M and ''Queen of Sea'', was a major cargo and passenger shipping company founded in 1852 in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1852 is started with routes from Baltimore and Boston two wooden side ...
of Baltimore, Maryland on July 27, 1901, and renamed ''Powhatan''. ''Powhatan'' was wrecked in 1916 and in 1919 rebuilt as the world's first turbo-electric propelled passenger ship ''Cuba'' for luxury passenger and express freight service between Florida and Cuba with the Miami Steamship Company beginning service in 1920. Renamed ''Seneca'', the ship burned and sank December 30, 1927, at
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
then refloated September 2, 1928, and scrapped.
Over the ship's career she went aground at Santiago, Cuba, then two months later burned and sank at Brooklyn in 1901, collided and sank in 1916 in Chesapeake Bay and finally burned and sank in Hoboken, in 1927.
Construction
''Yorktown'', an
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
-
hulled
Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective ...
passenger ship
A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...
, was launched on February 10, 1894, by Delaware River Shipbuilding and Engine Works at
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
for the Old Dominion Steamship Company. ''Yorktown'' was the last ship on order, and when completed the company warned it would be forced to close for the first time in its history unless new orders were placed, putting the 100 men, down from 1,500 a few years before, out of work with depressive impact on the town of Chester.
Old Dominion Steamship Company service, 1894–1898
The company served ports in the Chesapeake Bay with weekday, overnight freight and passenger service between New York, pier 26,
North River, and Norfolk (
Old Point Comfort
Old Point Comfort is a point of land located in the independent city of Hampton, Virginia. Previously known as Point Comfort, it lies at the extreme tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads in the United States. It was renamed ...
) with routes extending to
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, and Washington, D.C. Service by ''Yorktown'' and sister ship ''Jamestown'' was planned to begin April 10, 1894. On March 19, 1898, ''Yorktown'' was advertised by the company as the most comfortable way to travel from New York, sailing at 3 p.m. on March 22 and arriving the next morning for a $13 fare that included berth and meals, to see the "Launching of the Great Twin Battleships and " on March 24, 1898, at
Newport News
Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
.
United States government service, 1898–1902
The U.S. Navy purchased ''Yorktown'' from the Old Dominion Steamship Company on April 21, 1898, for
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
service commissioning the ship as USS ''Resolute'' on May 11, 1898.
United States Navy service, 1898–1899
''Resolute'' departed New York City on May 25, 1898, assigned to cruise between
Môle-Saint-Nicolas
Môle-Saint-Nicolas (; ht, Mòlsennikola or ) is a commune in the north-western coast of Haiti. It is the chief town of the Môle-Saint-Nicolas Arrondissement in the department of Nord-Ouest.
History
Christopher Columbus' first voyage to th ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, and
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 ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, in search of the
Spanish Navy
The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
commanded by
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Pascual Cervera y Topete
Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete (18 February 1839, Medina-Sidonia, Cádiz, Spain – 3 April 1909, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain) was a prominent Spanish naval officer with the rank of '' Almirante'' ( admiral) who served in a number of high posit ...
. After calling at
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within 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 cons ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, on June 8, ''Resolute'' returned to the southeast Cuban coast to assist the U.S. fleet in scouting, relying on her high speed for protection. She was present on July 3 at the
Battle of Santiago de Cuba
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurred ...
, steaming eastward to warn
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
transports of the Spanish squadrons emergence from the harbor of Santiago de Cuba. Subsequently, ''Resolute'' transported Spanish
prisoners-of-war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, departing the Cuban coast on July 8 for
Charleston,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
;
Newport News
Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the Uni ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
;
Tompkinsville,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
; and New York City.
![USS Resolute (1894) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/USS_Resolute_%281894%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
''Resolute'' returned to the Cuban war zone late in July engaging Spanish shore
batteries at
Manzanillo, Cuba, on August 13, but sailed for the United States carrying returning Marines from the First Battalion who had made the first assault landing at
Guantánamo Bay
Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off ...
. The ship reached New York on August 23 and after inspection continued to Portsmouth Harbor the next day, where the First Marine Battalion was disembarked.
In October, ''Resolute'' embarked the
Evacuation Commission at
Nuevitas
Nuevitas is a municipality and port town in the Camagüey Province of Cuba. The large bay was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
History
Founded in 1775, the city was moved to its present site in 1828. Before the 1977 national municipal refo ...
, Cuba, for transportation to
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , Cuba, and Key West, and again to Havana. Then she returned American troops home to the U.S.
''Resolute'' was out of service until December, while being
fumigated following an outbreak of
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
on board. She then steamed between Havana and Key West on transport missions through March 1899. Her final service was as a marker vessel for the steam
trials
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, w ...
of the new
battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
at
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, from May–September 1899. The ship arrived at
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania, on October 2 for
decommissioning
Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from an active status, and may refer to:
Infrastructure
* Decommissioned offshore
* Decommissioned highway
* Greenfield status of former industrial sites
* Nuclear decommi ...
effective on December 15, 1899, at
League Island Navy Yard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries.
Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
.
United States Army service, 1900–1902
''Resolute'' was transferred to the United States Department of War on January 22, 1900, for service with the
Army Transport Service
The United States Army Transport Service (ATS) was established as a sea-going transport service that was independent of the Navy Department. ATS operated army transport ships for both troop transport and cargo service between United States ports ...
as the
United States Army Transport
During World War II the U.S. Army operated approximately 127,800 watercraft of various types.) Those included large troop and cargo transport ships that were Army-owned hulls, vessels allocated by the War Shipping Administration, bareboat chart ...
(USAT) ''Rawlins''. The ship was aground on a coral reef at Santiago, Cuba when on the way to embark the troops of the Tenth United States Infantry destined for New York. Then, on April 10, 1901, ''Rawlins'' was to have sailed from New York to Havana, Cuba with miscellaneous cargo, largely horse feed, but caught fire in the engine room with the result of a two alarm fire bringing six engines, two trucks and three fireboats and so much water pumped aboard by 9:30 a.m. that she rolled over, flooded and sank with deck awash at the Army's pier at Pacific Street, Brooklyn. There was no loss of life but four men were overcome by smoke and damage was estimated at $20,000 to refloat and $50,000 to repair. ''Rawlins'' was sold to the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company of Baltimore, Maryland on July 27, 1901, for $200,000.
Later career, 1902–1928
The ship was returned to mercantile service in 1902 and operated under the names SS ''Powhatan'', SS ''Cuba'', and SS ''Seneca''.
''Powatan''
![S](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/S.S._POWHATAN_shortly_after_being_brought_to_the_surface.png)
Renamed ''Powatan'' the ship began Norfolk, Virginia—Boston, Massachusetts service with the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company. The company is shown in a 1908 railway guide with twenty-four ships and routes extending from Boston to
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
.
At about 8:14 p.m. December 15, 1916, outbound ''Powatan'' collided with the inbound British ship southeast of
Thimble Shoal Light
Thimble Shoal Light is a sparkplug lighthouse in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, north of the Hampton Roads channel. The third light at this location, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
The first light at t ...
in the deep channel of the lower
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 the parts: the ...
.
[Dates of December 8 and 13 were found in other references; however, presumption is that a formal court record would have the most accurate date of such an incident.] Both ships were damaged with ''Powatan'' beached with ship and cargo a total loss. Court findings were that ''Powatan'', in confused signals, had cut across ''Telena''s course rather than pass port to port with the responsibility for the collision resting entirely with ''Powatan''. On appeal of that decision the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case and found it "unnecessary to add anything to the full and fair discussion" of the case in the lower court.
''Powhatan'' was declared a total loss by both owners and underwriters and remained unsalvaged for months until
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
demands for shipping and skyrocketing ship values resulted in the hulk being raised and taken into
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
until a rehabilitation plan was established. ''Powatan'', described as "rusted, wasted hulk of a ship" that "shipping men" described as "the most hopeless" after two years on mud flats, was "yanked" off the mud and towed to New York by Morse tugs escorted as far as
Barnegat, New Jersey
Barnegat Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the township's population was 20,936, reflecting an increase of 5,666 (+37.1%) from the 15,270 counted in the 2000 Census, which ha ...
by
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
with two eggs in a nest in the masthead lamp.
[The photo of the hulk in this reference shows the vessel stripped of all superstructure and deck houses with a stream of water being ejected from the port side.] At the
Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company
The Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company was a major late 19th/early 20th century ship repair and conversion facility located in New York City. Begun in the 1880s as a small shipsmithing business known as the Morse Iron Works, the company grew to ...
Brooklyn yard damaged and corroded plates and frames were removed along with all machinery and there "was scarcely a whole shell" by the time the rebuild that converted the ship into the world's first electric drive passenger ship, SS ''Cuba'', began.
''Cuba''—world's first electric drive passenger ship
![Miami Steamship Company 1920 Ad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Miami_Steamship_Company_1920_Ad.png)
The rebuilt ''Powhatan'', renamed ''Cuba'', underwent trials and began operation in late 1920 as the world's first passenger ship with
turbo-electric
A turbo-electric transmission uses electric generators to convert the mechanical energy of a turbine (steam or gas) into electric energy, which then powers electric motors and converts back into mechanical energy that power the driveshafts.
Tu ...
drive and all lighting and auxiliary machinery also being electric. On trials with the propulsion motor delivering full 3,000 horsepower, the ship attained a speed of 17.28 knots.
''Cuba'' was a relatively small ship of 3,580 tons displacement at draft, length overall and was not intended by the owners, Miami Steamship Company, to carry any cargo other than automobiles on deck, express freight and some refrigerated fruit with emphasis put of passenger accommodations and spaces—so that ''Cuba'' could "well be called a luxurious yacht rather than a passenger steamship". The rebuilding into ''Cuba'' was sponsored by Charles L. Dimon, grandson of John Dimon, partner in the firm
Smith & Dimon that had designed and built 1845 clipper and the 1846 clipper , backed by the General Electric Company which Dimon had selected to furnish electrical equipment including the main propulsion. Initial references are for first-class-only service between to Florida ports and Havana, Cuba but later advertisements are for "New York direct to Miami" service leaving New York every Saturday.
Engineering
![Propulsion motor for ship Cuba](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Propulsion_motor_for_ship_Cuba.png)
Electric power was provided by a steam plant of four Scotch boilers, each with three oil-fired furnaces, driving a General Electric eight-stage turbo-generator set which in turn provided power at 1,100 volts, 1,234 amperes rated at 2,350 kilowatts delivering 50-cycle alternating current to the General Electric synchronous-type electric motor with a rated 3,000 horsepower running at 1,150 volts and 1,180 amperes driving the shaft and , four-bladed propeller with pitch of of the built-up type with cast-iron hub and manganese bronze blades. Motor control was by two levers, one for motor speed and another for forward or reverse.
Two 150-kilowatt General Electric turbo-generator sets provided lighting and power for auxiliary machinery with a half-kilowatt Holtzer-Cabot Electric Company generator providing power for wireless communication with an emergency lighting generator set driven by a gasoline engine on the upper deck. Capstans and winches were all-electric, including the windlass for the two bower anchors of each. Steering gear, not electric, was steam driven, as were various engineering pumps; main boiler feed pump, auxiliary feed, circulating and air pumps. Two eight ton refrigeration plants were installed forward.
Accommodations
![SS Cuba—Veranda Café 1920](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/SS_Cuba%E2%80%94Veranda_Caf%C3%A9_1920.png)
Passenger staterooms, with double berths and private baths, were in the forward superstructure with the dining room furnished with tables seating four. To aid in handling passenger's automobiles the vessel's side auto port was designed to allow the largest limousines then built to be driven, rather than hoisted, aboard. Among the passenger spaces were a card room on the boat deck aft of the officer's quarters and radio room; a smoking room with a large mahogany bar and end-to-end skylight aft of the card room and the Verandah Café aft of the smoking room. The Verandah Café was designed to imitate a typical verandah with running vines and trellis work, furniture in ivory and green and large windows opening to the sea breeze.
''Seneca''
On December 30, 1927, ''Seneca'' burned and sank at Hoboken, New Jersey. She was refloated on September 2, 1928, and subsequently scrapped.
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
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External links
Online Library of Selected Images: USS ''Resolute'' (1898–1900)Postcard: ''Arrival of Steamship "Cuba," Key West, Florida – 90 Miles from Havana''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorktown (1894)
1894 ships
Steamships of the United States
Ships built by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works
Passenger ships of the United States
Auxiliary cruisers of the United States Navy
Transports of the United States Navy
Spanish–American War auxiliary ships of the United States
Ships of the United States Army
World War I merchant ships of the United States
Maritime incidents in 1901
Maritime incidents in 1916
Maritime incidents in 1927
Turbo-electric steamships