USS ''Detroit'' (C-10) was a

unprotected cruiser An unprotected cruiser was a type of naval warship in use during the early 1870s Victorian or pre-dreadnought era (about 1880 to 1905). The name was meant to distinguish these ships from “protected cruisers”, which had become accepted in ...

of 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 ...

which was authorized by an

Act of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called Public and private bills, private laws), or to the general public (Public and private bills, public laws). For a Bill (law) ...

in September 1888. ''Detroit'' was launched on 28 October 1891 at

Columbian Iron Works The Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Company (1872–1899), was located in Baltimore, Maryland on the Locust Point peninsula, adjacent to Fort McHenry. Founded by William T. Malster (1843–1907) who later partnered with William B. Reane ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, sponsored by Miss F. Malster. The cruiser was commissioned on 20 July 1893. It was the third ship to be named for

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Brazilian Naval Revolt

''Detroit'' sailed from Norfolk 5 October 1893 for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and lay at anchor in the harbor to protect American citizens and interests during revolutionary disturbances in Brazil, during which she

engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

the rebel cruiser '' Trajano'' in a short and bloodless action. After, ''Detroit'' returned to

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 ...

on 24 April 1894. She sailed on 16 October to serve on the

Asiatic Station The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily inv ...

for two years, cruising along the Chinese coast, and visiting ports in Japan and Korea.

Overhaul and Spanish–American War

''Detroit'' returned to New York City on 17 May 1897, and after overhaul, sailed for

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 ...

where she was based from 16 October 1897, in view of the increasingly tense situation in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. 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 ...

''Detroit'' was part of a US naval squadron that shelled Fort San Cristobal,

Castillo San Felipe del Morro Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico.ww ...

, and several shore batteries as part of the bombardment of San Juan on 12 May 1898.] USS Detroit (C-10) at anchor

Nicaragua and Venezuela and decommission

''Detroit'' returned to the Caribbean in February 1899. She protected American interests in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, and then in September during the revolutionary movements in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. She remained at anchor at

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...

during October and November, then returned to her base at Key West 21 December 1899. Except for two short cruises in 1900 into the Caribbean, she remained at Key West until May when she sailed to

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

and was taken out of commission on 23 May 1900.

Recommission and South America

Recommissioned on 23 September 1902, ''Detroit'' sailed for the Caribbean in November for squadron maneuvers at Culebra and San Juan. She joined ''Fortune'' at

Port of Spain, Trinidad Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

, in January 1903, and towed her around the coast of South America to Talcahuana, Chile. ''Detroit'' operated between

Montevideo, Uruguay Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, and Bahia and Santos, Brazil, until January 1904 when she arrived at

Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo Puerto Plata, officially known as San Felipe de Puerto Plata, is the third-largest city in the Dominican Republic, and capital of the province of Puerto Plata. The city is a trading port. Puerto Plata has resorts such as Playa Dorada and Costa Do ...

, to protect American interests in the revolution-torn island. Her diplomatic offices resulted in a peace conference in June, after which the insurgent army capitulated at Monte Cristi.

Final decommission

Except for a brief cruise to Boston and on to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

in the summer of 1904, ''Detroit'' remained off troubled

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

. She returned to Boston in July 1905, was placed out of commission 1 August 1905, and sold on 22 December 1910.

References

External links

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Naval Historical Center selected images

{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit (C-10) Montgomery-class cruisers Unprotected cruisers of the United States Navy Ships built in Baltimore 1891 ships Spanish–American War cruisers of the United States