Columbia-class cruiser
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The ''Columbia''-class cruisers were two
protected cruisers Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers r ...
constructed in 1890 and 1891 and used by 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 ...
.Bauer and Roberts, p. 145 They were lightly gunned ships with only moderate armor that were built for the speed needed to overtake and destroy the fast
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
s of the day as
commerce raiders Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...
. However, the light armament and armor left these ships over-specialized and outclassed by ordinary similar sized protected cruisers that they might encounter. Also, the engines were expensive to operate and at full power the ships' range was greatly decreased. Due to the ongoing size and speed race in ocean liners, by 1907 they were outclassed in speed by the ill-fated and the German liner . ''Columbia'' was authorized by an Act of Congress approved 30 June 1890, and ''Minneapolis'' was authorized by an Act approved 2 March 1891.Gardiner and Chesneau, p. 154


Design and construction

Due to their design, this type of ship was criticized as being not much better than an armed merchant cruiser. 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 ...
, for example, ''Columbia'' was used as a troop transport, while both ships of the class were used as scouts.


Foreign equivalents

This type of large (but under-armed) specialized commerce raider was built by several other countries. The German cruiser SMS ''Kaiserin Augusta'' also had a triple-screw design and was nearly as long as the American ''Columbia''-class ships, but had a more general role instead of a specialized commerce raider. The French copied the ''Columbia''-class concept with two large protected cruisers; of 1897 and of 1898 before switching to building only armored cruisers for the commerce-raiding role such as the of 1900. Later, Russia acquired a series of oversized protected cruisers such as the and es along with and up until the Russo-Japanese War (1905), although these were given a relatively stronger armament for their size. The British were the most probable target of most of these ships, and invested in various cruiser designs as a counter to the perceived threat.


Acquisition

US Representative
Charles A. Boutelle Charles Addison Boutelle (February 9, 1839 – May 21, 1901) was an American seaman, shipmaster, naval officer, Civil War veteran, newspaper editor, publisher, conservative Republican politician, and nine-term Representative to the U.S. Congress f ...
of Maine was the primary advocate of these ships in Congress, and overcame significant opposition to get them built.Friedman, pp. 39-40, 463
William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company (also known as William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company) of Philadelphia was founded in 1830 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder of the late 19th century. Company hi ...
of Philadelphia was the sole bidder for ''Columbia'', ordered in fiscal year 1891. ''Minneapolis'' was ordered the following year and described as the "most important ship" in that year's program.
Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest de ...
of Bath, Maine was the lowest bidder, but Bath could not build their own engines nor complete the ship in time. So the contract was awarded to Cramp, on condition that they lower their price $55,000 to meet Bath's bid.


Engineering

The engineering plant needed to meet the designed speed of was unprecedented in the US Navy. Engineer-in-Chief
George W. Melville George Wallace Melville (January 10, 1841 – March 17, 1912) was an American engineer, Arctic explorer, and author. As chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering, he headed a time of great expansion, technological progress and change, ofte ...
was personally involved in its design. The designed horsepower of was nearly double that of the
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 ...
, and well in excess of the later 's . To achieve this a triple-screw powerplant, the first in the US Navy, was designed. Eight or ten (references vary, possibly 8 in ''Columbia'' and 10 in ''Minneapolis'') coal-fired cylindrical boilers supplied steam to three
triple-expansion 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 h ...
s. The ships could economically cruise at on the center engine alone. Both ships exceeded their design speed on trials; ''Columbia'' made and ''Minneapolis'' made . Consideration was also given to survivability in the event of battle damage. Each engine was in a separate compartment, and the center
screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...
was aft of the outboard screws, minimizing the chance of more than one screw being disabled by a single hit. ''Columbia'' was built with four funnels while ''Minneapolis'' had two; it is possible this, along with the main gun placement on the aft deck, was intended to make the ships resemble their prey from a distance. The normal coal allowance was 800 tons. However, the design allowance was 2,130 tons for a globe-girdling range of at . It seems this proved impractical, as the full load coal allowance is given in the same source as 1,576 tons. In July 1895 ''Columbia'' made a
transatlantic crossing Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe or Africa and the Americas. The majority of passenger traffic is across the North Atlantic between Western Europe and North America. Centuries ...
from
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
to
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in 6 days, 23 hours, 49 minutes for an average speed of 18.41 knots. This was without
forced draft The difference between atmospheric pressure and the pressure existing in the furnace or flue gas passage of a boiler is termed as draft. Draft can also be referred to as the difference in pressure in the combustion chamber area which results in the ...
and was said to be the fastest crossing for a warship to that date. However, the record holder at the time was an
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
, the German
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's with a time of 6 days, 10 hours, 32 minutes.


Protection

The protection system included an armored deck as in other
protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...
s, on the sloped sides and in the flat middle. The gun shields were , as were the sponsons for the 4-inch guns. The
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...
was . Compared with other US protected cruisers, the armor was not inferior except in relation to the ships' size: the 7,000-ton ''Columbia''s had similar armor to 4,000-ton ships such as .


Armament

The originally designed main armament for ''Columbia'' was four /40 caliber guns, two forward and two aft, but during construction the aft pair was replaced by a single /40
caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge (firearms) , bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the f ...
Mark 5 gun.DiGiulian, Tony, 8"/35 and 8"/40 US Navy guns at NavWeaps.com
/ref> The two 6-inch guns were side by side just forward of the superstructure. Secondary armament included eight /40 caliber rapid fire (RF) guns in
sponson Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing. Watercraft On watercraft, a spon ...
s in the hull, 12 6-pounder () RF guns, four 1-pounder () RF guns, and four
Gatling gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyc ...
s. A field artillery piece on a wheeled carriage was also carried for use by landing parties.USS ''Columbia'' at SpanAmWar.com
/ref> The ships also had four
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s, on ''Columbia'' for
Howell torpedo The Howell Automobile Torpedo was the first self-propelled torpedo produced in quantity by the United States Navy, which referred to it as the Howell Mark I torpedo. It was conceived by Lieutenant Commander John A. Howell, United States Navy, in ...
es and 18 inch (450 mm) on ''Minneapolis''.


Refits

All torpedo tubes were removed by 1904. Both ships were out of commission for a long period, ''Columbia'' 1907–1915 and ''Minneapolis'' 1906–1917. During re-activation refits at the end of these periods the lone 8-inch gun was replaced by a third /40 caliber gun. This was part of a general withdrawal from service of 8-inch Mark 5 guns due to a tendency to burst. Two 4-inch guns were also removed by 1917, leaving six guns. One source states that two additional 4-inch guns were removed and two /50 caliber
anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
guns were added circa 1918.


Service

Both ships were commissioned in 1894 and were initially 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 ...
. ''Columbia'' was involved in an intervention in Nicaragua July–August 1894. She cruised to Europe before being placed in reserve in May 1897. ''Minneapolis'' was in the
European Squadron The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil Wa ...
from 1895 to 1897 and was then placed in reserve in July 1897. Both ships were re-activated with the outbreak of 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 ...
in March 1898, commencing the search for
Admiral Cervera 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 ...
's squadron soon after. It was feared that Cervera's fleet would bombard the US
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. ''Columbia'' searched as far north as Maine, ''Minneapolis'' as far south as Venezuela. Neither appears to have encountered enemy ships during the war. ''Columbia'' carried troops to the invasion of
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on 25–26 July and supported the Puerto Rican Campaign through 14 August. ''Minneapolis'' was placed in reserve in August 1898 as soon as hostilities ceased, ''Columbia'' following her in March 1899. Both recommissioned as
receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipmen ...
s in 1902, ''Columbia'' soon joining the Atlantic Training Squadron until again decommissioning in 1907. ''Minneapolis'' joined a
Special Service Squadron The Special Service Squadron was a component of the United States Navy during the earlier part of the 20th century. The squadron patrolled the Caribbean Sea as an instrument of gunboat diplomacy. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone ...
in 1905, making astronomical and other observations off Spain and Africa, including a
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on 30 August. She was present for the arrival of the body of
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at the
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in
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in mid-1906. After some training cruises, she was decommissioned in late 1906. ''Columbia'' was recommissioned in 1915 as flagship of the Submarine Flotilla. Following the
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in April 1917, ''Minneapolis'' was recommissioned and both ships served as
convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
escorts. In early 1919, with the war over, ''Columbia'' served in the Atlantic and ''Minneapolis'' served in the Pacific until both were decommissioned in 1921. Both were sold for scrap in 1921–22.


Legacy

''Minneapolis'' mast and bell, the only surviving parts of her, are preserved on the northeastern shore of
Lake Calhoun Bde Maka Ska (, previously named Lake Calhoun, its former official designation) is the largest lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and part of the city's Chain of Lakes. Surrounded by city park land and circled by bike and walking tra ...
, near Lake Street in
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. The ship's wheel was also preserved, but was stolen.


Ships in class

The two ships of the ''Columbia'' class were: ''Columbia'' was renamed ''Old Columbia'' on 17 November 1921 to avoid confusion with the auxiliary ship . On 17 July 1920 these ships were redesignated with the new hull numbers CA-16 (heavy cruiser) and CA-17.


See also

*
List of cruisers of the United States Navy This list of cruisers of the United States Navy includes all ships that were ever called "cruiser", either publicly or in internal documentation. The Navy has 17 cruisers in active service, as of 29 September 2022, with the last tentatively s ...


References

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Bibliography

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External links


Cruiser Photo Gallery Index at NavSource Naval History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbia Class Cruiser Cruiser classes