USS ''Reina Mercedes'' (IX-25) 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 ...

of the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

which was captured in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in 1898 by the

U.S. 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 o ...

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 ...

. She was refurbished and used by the U.S. Navy as a non-self-propelled

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 ...

at Newport,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

, and subsequently as a detention vessel and

barracks ship A barracks ship or barracks barge or berthing barge, or in civilian use accommodation vessel or accommodation ship, is a ship or a non-self-propelled barge containing a superstructure of a type suitable for use as a temporary barracks for s ...

for the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in Annapolis,

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 ...

, until 1957. For an article on the technical characteristics and operational history of ''Reina Mercedes'' as a Spanish cruiser, see .

Captured by U.S. Navy forces

During the

, the ship ''Reina Mercedes'' served as a key defensive element of the Spanish defenses against the American blockade of Santiago harbor with four of her six 6.3" Hontoria guns and lighter guns being the teeth of the Spanish land batteries and the ship itself being the first layer of naval defense at the inner entrance of the mouth of the harbor. After the Spanish fleet had come out and been destroyed in the Naval battle of Santiago the

sank ''Reina Mercedes'' as a blockship in the entrance channel of the harbor at

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

, on the southeast coast of Cuba. The United States captured ''Reina Mercedes'' on 17 July 1898 when the Spanish defenses at Santiago de Cuba surrendered. The U.S. Navy decided to salvage ''Reina Mercedes'', and the

Merritt-Chapman & Scott Merritt-Chapman & Scott, nicknamed "The Black Horse of the Sea", was a noted marine salvage and construction firm of the United States, with worldwide operations. The chief predecessor company was founded in the 1860s by Israel Merritt, but a ...

company was engaged to raise her. Work began 2 January 1899 and she was again afloat on 1 March 1899. Leaking considerably as she had been damaged by no less than three 13" shells from the USS ''Massachusetts'' and two 12" hits from the USS ''Texas'' when being sunk as a blockship, as well as having incurred significant damage incurred in earlier bombardments, the ''Reina Mercedes'' was towed to

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 ...

in Norfolk, Virginia, arriving 27 May 1899 for temporary repairs. Departing Norfolk on 25 August 1900, again in tow, ''Reina Mercedes'' arrived at the

Portsmouth Navy Yard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...

Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals. The southernmost town i ...

, on 29 August 1900 for refitting.

Conversion efforts

It was first planned to convert the old cruiser to a seagoing

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

; but, after much delay, the Navy Yard received orders on 10 December 1902 to complete her as a non-self-propelled receiving ship. Departing

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, in tow 21 May 1905, ''Reina Mercedes'' was taken to

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, to be attached to the receiving ship USS ''Constellation''; and, but for a visit to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1908, served there until 1912.

Midshipmen service

In early September 1912, ''Reina Mercedes'' was towed to

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, by the tug USS ''Patuxent'' and collier USS ''Lebanon''. After a major overhaul, she arrived at Annapolis,

, on 30 September 1912 for duty there as station ship, replacing USS ''Hartford'' in that role. ''Reina Mercedes'' was designated an unclassified auxiliary vessel with hull number IX-25 on 17 July 1920. From 1912 until 1957, USS ''Reina Mercedes'' served as the station ship at Annapolis, Maryland, with the exception of brief periods in 1916, 1927, 1939, and 1951 when she was towed to the Norfolk Navy Yard for docking and overhaul. Until 1940 it was customary for

midshipmen serving punishment to live and take their meals on board the old ship for up to two months at a time. She was never considered a "brig", as sometimes recalled, for the midshipmen continued to attend all drills and recitations afloat and ashore but were required to sleep in

hammock A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a wo ...

s in the ship and to take their meals on board. This practice was abolished on 5 September 1940, when restriction of midshipmen to their rooms in

Bancroft Hall Bancroft Hall, at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is said to be the largest contiguous set of academic dormitories in the U.S. Bancroft Hall, named after former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and famous historian/author Geor ...

was substituted as a disciplinary measure. Her main function from 5 September 1940 was to serve as quarters for enlisted personnel assigned to the Naval Academy and for the Commander of the Naval Station, who was also captain of the ship. She also served as the headquarters for the Naval Academy's sailing activities and lookout and harbor control center. Until 1957, ''Reina Mercedes'' was humorously referred to as the "fastest ship in the fleet", as she remained tied fast to the Naval Academy

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...

. Because her commanding officer was provided with quarters on board for his entire family, ''Reina Mercedes'' was the only U.S. Navy ship on which dependents were permitted to live.

Flying the Spanish flag once again

For a brief moment in 1920, ''Reina Mercedes'' flew her former flag—the flag of Spain—as a gesture of friendship when the Spanish battleship ''Alfonso XIII'' called at Annapolis.

Final disposition

In 1954 the newly appointed Spanish ambassador to the United States,

José María de Areilza José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, learned of the ship's existence.El sorprendente final del Crucero Reina Mercedes
GEHM (19/05/2014)
ABC (28/02/2014) He began efforts to have ''Reina Mercedes'' returned to Spain but was unsuccessful, although he did manage to get the ship discharged. It was the time of the Cold War and Franco's Spain was gaining more and more importance for the US government in its fight against

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

, even signing the

Pact of Madrid The Pact of Madrid, signed on 23 September 1953 by Francoist Spain and the United States, was a significant effort to break the international isolation of Spain after World War II, together with the Concordat of 1953. This development came at a ...

of 1953. Finally, Areilza managed to obtain support from the US Navy itself and got US President

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

to order the ship to be scrapped in 1957. The guards bell was returned to Spain. ''Reina Mercedes'' was decommissioned in a ceremony attended by Ambassador Areilza and sold to Boston Metals Co., of

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 ...

(

) for scrapping.

Awards and honors

* World War I Victory Medal *

American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces, established by , by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on June 28, 1941. The medal was intended to recognize those military service members who had served ...

American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...

World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The Wo ...

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Because of the Academy's pride when invoking the historic name ''Reina Mercedes'', a newly designed and built Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) was named in her honor at Naval Support Activity Annapolis. An Annapolis-based US Naval League Cadet unit took the name "Training Ship Reina Mercedes" in honor of the vessel.

External references

* ''"Old Hoodoo" The Battleship Texas: America's First Battleship (1895–1911)'' Mark D. Cowan and Alan K. Sumrall, 2011

References

External links

USS ''Reina Mercedes''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reina Mercedes Auxiliary ships of the United States Navy United States Naval Academy Training ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Spain 1887 ships Maritime incidents in 1898 Captured ships es:Clase Reina Cristina#Reina Mercedes gl:Cruceiro Reina Mercedes