The second USS ''Perry'' was a in 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 ...

. She was named for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.

Construction

''Perry'' was laid down on 19 April 1899, by Union Iron Works,

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

; launched on 27 October 1900; sponsored by Miss Maude O'Connor; and commissioned on 4 September 1902.

Pre-World War I

''Perry'' was assigned to the

Pacific Torpedo Flotilla Naval Base San Pedro and San Pedro Submarine Base were United States Navy bases at the Port of San Pedro, California officially founded in 1919. While commissioned in 1919, the Navy started operating out of the port in 1910, by renting dock spac ...

and based at Mare Island until the United States entered

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 ...

. Her operations took her as far north as

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and south along the coast of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

; and in the fall of 1908, combined fleet maneuvers took her to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Perhaps the highlight of the torpedo boat destroyer's career came during the earthquake which struck San Francisco on 18 April 1906, and the resulting fire which devastated the city. For four days after, they were awakened by severe rolling and pitching of their ship before dawn on 18 April, the crew labored to save the western metropolis by fighting fires; patrolling districts where stores, warehouses, and homes were threatened by looters; and providing medical aid to countless injured men, women, and children. In 1914, ''Perry'' observed the Topolobampo naval campaign in the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

, she was present at the

Fourth Battle of Topolobampo The Fourth Battle of Topolobampo was a single ship action fought during the Mexican Revolution and the last naval battle of the Topolobampo Campaign. In June 1914, a Huertista gunboat sank a Constitutionalist gunboat off Topolobampo, Sinaloa ...

, the final naval action of the campaign.

World War I

When the United States entered World War I, ''Perry'' patrolled off the California Coast until steaming to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

where, beginning on 28 July 1917, she guarded the entrance to the vital canal. On 30 May 1918, she 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 ...

for patrol duty in the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...

. After the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

, she got under way for the Delaware Bay on 29 January 1919, and remained at the Philadelphia Navy Yard until decommissioning on 2 July. ''Perry''s name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 September, and she was sold to Henry A. Hitner's Sons Company for scrapping on 5 January 1920.

Noteworthy commanding officers

Lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Frank Herman Schofield Frank Herman Schofield (January 4, 1869 – February 20, 1942) was a decorated admiral in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction in the Spanish–American War and World War I. He was also acting governor of Guam from January 1 ...

(25 June 1904 – 1 November 1905) (Later

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

) *

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Edgar Brown Larimer (11 July 1907 – 13 October 1909) (Later Rear admiral and Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance (1931-1934)) * Lieutenant JG Harry Adrian McClure (11 September 1915 – 3 April 1916) (Later Commodore)

Notes

External links

Photos of USS ''Perry''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry (DD-11) Bainbridge-class destroyers World War I destroyers of the United States 1906 San Francisco earthquake Ships built in San Francisco 1900 ships Ships built by Union Iron Works