The fourth USS ''Montgomery'' (C-9), the lead ship of her class, was an

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 ...

in the

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authorized in the Naval Appropriations Act of September 7, 1888. ''Montgomery'' served 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 = (cloc ...

and in

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and was named for

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. ''Montgomery'' was launched 5 December 1891 by

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 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 ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

; sponsored by Miss Sophia Smith; and commissioned at

Norfolk Navy Yard 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 tha ...

21 June 1894.

Service history

Assigned to the

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

, the new cruiser operated along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean. During the Spanish–American War, she cruised near

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and Haiti in April 1898 and in May joined the blockade of

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.

. She took two prizes, ''Lorenzo'' and ''Frasquito'', 5 May, and shelled the

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forts a week later. On 13 June a 280mm Krupp

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

at the Santa Clara Battery fired on ''Montgomery'', at a range of 9,000 meters, apparently without effect. In April 1899 ''Montgomery'' transferred to the

South Atlantic Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When th ...

and operated along the Atlantic coast of

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. In July 1900 she was import Urgaguy with CDR JohnMerrill as her Commanding Officer. (US Census 2 July 1900, lists crew members.) She returning to the United States and decommissioning at

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15 September 1900. Recommissioned 15 May 1902, she was assigned to the Caribbean Division, North Atlantic Squadron, and operated in the

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until decommissioning at

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 ...

15 September 1904. ''Montgomery'' recommissioned 2 January 1908 and operated in the 5th Naval District as a torpedo experimental ship. From 1914 to 1918 she served with the

Maryland Naval Militia The Maryland Naval Militia is the authorized but currently inactive unorganized naval militia of Maryland. It served as a dual federal and state military reserve force, essentially a naval and marine equivalent of the Maryland Army National Guard an ...

. Renamed ''Anniston'' 14 March 1918, she was assigned to Division 2, American Patrol Detachment, for patrol and escort duty along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean. Decommissioning at Charleston, South Carolina, 16 May 1918, ''Anniston'' was struck from the

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25 August 1919 and sold 14 November 1919.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery (C-9) Montgomery-class cruisers Unprotected cruisers of the United States Navy Ships built in Baltimore 1891 ships