USRC Hudson (1893)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

USRC ''Hudson'', known for her service during the
Battle of Cárdenas The Battle of Cárdenas was a minor naval engagement of the Spanish–American War fought on 11 May 1898 in the port of Cárdenas, Cuba, between an American squadron of 5 ships under Captain Chapman C. Todd and 3 small Spanish vessels under Maria ...
, was the United States Revenue Cutter Service's first vessel to have a steel hull and
triple-expansion steam engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...
.


Construction

''Hudson'' was built in the Camden, New Jersey shipyards of John H. Dialogue and Sons and was one of the first Revenue Cutter Service vessels to be completely designed by the service's recently established office of Superintendent of Construction. All of the blueprints and specifications for ''Hudson'' were turned over to the shipyard contractor and they were expected to build the vessel according to plan. Prior to establishment of the Superintendent's office by Commandant
Leonard G. Shepard Leonard G. Shepard (November 10, 1846March 1, 1895), was a captain in the United States Revenue Cutter Service and was appointed in 1889 by United States Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of the Treasury William Windom as the first military hea ...
, the general layout of the vessel was left to the contractor.Evans, pp 155–156 ''Hudson'' was the first revenue cutter designed with an all steel hull and triple expansion steam engines. Precise metallurgical specifications were used to construct the boiler plates, allowing a 160-pound boiler pressure that allowed the vessel the power to operate very successfully as a tug.Evans, p 156 Shepard's successor,
Charles F. Shoemaker Charles Frederick Shoemaker (27 March 184111 July 1913) was a captain in the United States Revenue Cutter Service and was appointed in 1895 by Secretary of the Treasury John Griffin Carlisle, John G. Carlisle to be Chief of the Revenue Marine Divi ...
, noted in his Revenue Cutter Service annual report of 1897 that this was "the first and only effort at modern cutter construction up to 1895."King, p 79 When commissioned on 15 September 1893, ''Hudson'' was named for the
Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
which empties into New York harbor.


History


New York Harbor

The crew of the decommissioned New York harbor tug was sent to ''Hudson'' as the crew and she immediately sailed for New York to assume the duties of a harbor tug after commissioning on 15 September 1893. Those duties included customs enforcement, checking ship documentation, quarantine enforcement, assistance to merchant ships, and search and rescue.King, pp 62–63


Spanish–American War

''Hudson'' was assigned on 24 March 1898 to duty with the U.S. Navy for 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 ...
. On 3 April she arrived at the
Norfolk Naval Shipyard 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 ...
at
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 ...
and was outfitted with two six-pound rapid-fire guns and a Colt automatic machine gun. Additionally, the pilothouse was armored with steel plate.Evans, p 169 On 11 May 1898 ''Hudson'', along with the U.S. Navy warships , , and , had pursued three Spanish gunboats into the
Bay of Cardenas A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
, Cuba. There, shore batteries fired on the U.S. vessels and disabled ''Winslow'', knocking out her steering and a boiler, thereby putting ''Winslow'' adrift. The accurate Spanish fire wounded ''Winslow''s commanding officer and killed Ensign
Worth Bagley Ensign Worth Bagley (April 6, 1874 – May 11, 1898) was a United States Navy officer during the Spanish–American War, distinguished as the only U.S. naval officer killed in action during that war. Biography Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, a ...
and three crewmen.Evans, p 171 Although under fire from the Spanish guns for over thirty minutes, ''Hudson'', commanded by First Lieutenant
Frank H. Newcomb Frank Hamilton Newcomb (10 November 184620 February 1934) was a United States Revenue Cutter Service commodore, best known for his actions at the Battle of Cárdenas during the Spanish–American War. Early life and education Newcomb was born i ...
, sailed into the bay to save the disabled ''Winslow''. Newcomb kept ''Hudson'' positioned in shoal waters near ''Winslow'', until a line was passed to ''Winslow'' and made fast. ''Hudson'' then towed ''Winslow'' out of danger. During the time in the bay, both vessels continually fired on the Spanish positions. ''Hudson'' carried the bodies of those killed as well as the wounded, along with the dispatches of the squadron off Cardenas, to
Havana, Cuba 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.
, arriving there on 14 May 1898. She remained there on blockade duty for a short time before departing to
Key West, Florida 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 Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
. Another period of patrol ended 10 July as she returned to the blockading fleet with further dispatches. ''Hudson'' captured two fishing vessels that attempted to run the blockade off Havana. On 17 August ''Hudson'' was returned to Treasury Department control and she then departed for Norfolk, via Key West and Savannah, and arrived there on 21 August 1898.


Cardenas Medal

On 27 June 1898, President
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
recommended to Congress that the officers and crew of ''Hudson'' be awarded medals for their heroic actions at the
Bay of Cardenas A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
during the rescue of ''Winslow''. Congress passed legislation awarding the Cardenas Medal to the crew of ''Hudson'' on 3 May 1900 (31 Stat. 717, 56th Congress).Glassman, "Congressional Gold Medals, 1776–2014", United States Senate, Congressional Research Service, p. 24


Later service

''Hudson'' arrived at New York on 6 October 1898 where she continued with her traditional duties; however, on 24 October she was ordered to
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 ...
to participate in a naval parade. She returned to New York after repairs were completed on 27 October. On 26 June she patrolled an intercollegiate
regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
at
Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
returning to New York harbor afterwards. On 26 January 1909 she had a collision with tow steamer off The Battery,
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 ...
causing considerable damage to ''Bouker''.Annual Report of the Supervising Inspector-general..., Penn State University At the declaration of war on Germany by Congress on 6 April 1917 ''Hudson'' was once again assigned to the U.S. Navy for service during
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 ...
. On 6 April, she assisted the Collector of Customs at the Port of New York in transfer of the officers of the seized cruise liner ''Vaterland'' to Ellis Island for
internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
.Larzelere, pp 190–191 During the war she was assigned port security and customs boarding duties initially, but later outfitted for minesweeping duties near Port Jefferson, New York. After December 1917, ''Hudson'' was used to patrol explosive loading barges near the Port of New York.Larzelere, pp 183–184 She continued her service with the Navy until returned to Treasury Department control by Executive Order on 28 August 1919. ''Hudson'' was sent to Norfork for repairs in 1922, and to the Coast Guard Depot in Curtis Bay, Maryland in 1928; after each yard availability she returned to New York City for regular duties. She was decommissioned on 3 May 1935 and sold.


Awards

*
Sampson Medal The Sampson Medal was a U.S. Navy campaign medal. The medal was authorized by an Act of Congress in 1901. The medal was awarded to those personnel who served on ships in the fleet of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson during combat operations in th ...
* Spanish Campaign Medal * World War I Victory Medal


Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations ;References used * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson Ships of the United States Revenue Cutter Service Spanish–American War naval ships of the United States 1893 ships Ships built by Dialogue & Company