The first USS ''San Francisco'' (C-5) (later CM-2) was a steel

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 ...

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 later named ''Tahoe'' and then ''Yosemite'', becoming the third US Navy ship to bear the name ''Yosemite''. She generally resembled her predecessor , with a main armament of twelve 6-inch guns.Gardiner and Chesneau, p. 152Bauer and Roberts, pp. 143-144Friedman, pp. 27, 460-461 ''San Francisco'' was launched on 26 October 1889, at the

Union Iron Works Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries ...

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 ...

; sponsored by Miss Edith W. Benham; and commissioned on 15 November 1890, Captain

William T. Sampson William Thomas Sampson (February 9, 1840 – May 6, 1902) was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Biography He was born in Palmyra, New York, and entered ...

in command.

Design and construction

''San Francisco'' was built to Navy Department plans, with twelve 6 inch (152 mm)/30 caliber guns.DiGiulian, Tony, US 6"/30, 6"/35, and 6"/40 guns at Navweaps.com
/ref> Two guns each were on the bow and stern, with the remainder 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 along the sides. Secondary armament was four 6-pounder () guns, four 3-pounder () Hotchkiss revolving cannon, two 1-pounder () Hotchkiss revolving cannon, and two

.45 caliber This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods) A case of some merchandise Merchandising is any practic ...

(11.4 mm) Gatling guns. Some of the weapons listed as Hotchkiss revolving cannon may actually have been rapid-firing guns. ''San Francisco'' had gun shields and a conning tower. The armored deck was up to thick on the sloped sides and thick in the middle. The as-built engineering plant included four coal-fired double-ended cylindrical boilers, which supplied steam to two horizontal

triple expansion engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tr ...

s totaling (designed) for a designed speed of . This speed was attained on trials but the trial horsepower was only . ''San Francisco'' was the last US Navy cruiser fitted with sails, which were soon removed. She carried 350 tons of coal for a designed range of at ; this could be increased to 850 tons for .

Refits

One reference states that four 18 inch (450 mm) (457 mm)

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 were added in 1894. The ship's 6-inch guns were converted to rapid-firing in 1902 and the torpedo tubes were removed at this time. In 1908-1911 ''San Francisco'' was converted to a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...

, with all guns except the four 6-pounder (57 mm) weapons replaced by eight 5 inch (127 mm)/40 caliber guns and storage for 300 mines added. She was also reboilered with eight

Babcock & Wilcox Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...

boilers. By 1918 her gun armament was further modernized with four 5 inch (127 mm)/51 caliber guns, four 6-pounder (57 mm) guns, two 3 inch (76 mm)/50 caliber anti-aircraft guns, and two

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

s (possibly the .30 caliber M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun).

Service history

Pre-Spanish–American War

Assigned to the South Pacific Squadron, ''San Francisco'' moved south and became the squadron's flagship on 31 March 1891. Five months later, as an eight-month-old

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

drew to a close in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, she landed a force of

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

s and

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

to protect the United States Consulate. September brought an end to the war, and ''San Francisco'' resumed her cruising off the

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

n coast. With the new year, 1892, she sailed north and west and arrived at

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

on 27 February as political differences deepened between monarchists and republicans. She departed

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 state ...

in August 1892, ''en route'' to Norfolk, Virginia, where she arrived in February 1893. ''San Francisco'' became the flagship of 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 ...

on 31 May and cruised off the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

coast into the fall. In November, she sailed south, visited ports in the Caribbean; and, in late December, reached

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

and assumed flagship duties for the South Atlantic Squadron. She called at ports in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, the

Netherlands West Indies nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , ...

, Colombia, Costa Rica, and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

during the next six months, then returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, anchoring at

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 ...

on 29 July 1894.

Spanish–American War

The year 1895 brought further overseas duty; and, in January, ''San Francisco'' crossed the Atlantic to cruise in the eastern

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

as political tension within the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

caused diplomatic uneasiness. Later shifted to other areas, she remained in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an waters, serving as the flagship of Commodore Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr., commander of 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 ...

, until 1896. In March of that year, she returned to the U.S.; cruised off the east coast until the outbreak of war against Spain in April 1898; then took up patrol duties along the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

coast and off

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 July,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

requested terms; and, in August, she returned to Hampton Roads. She was placed out of commission at the

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 ...

on 25 October.

Pre-World War I

Recommissioned on 2 January 1902, ''San Francisco'' was again assigned to the

. In September, she returned to the U.S. and commenced operations southward into the Caribbean. Another cruise to the Mediterranean, thence on to Asiatic ports, followed; and, in the fall of 1904, the protected cruiser again entered the

, where she was decommissioned on 31 December. In June 1908, ''San Francisco'' was ordered refitted as a minelaying vessel; and in 1910, she was rearmed with eight 5 inch (127 mm)/40 caliber guns and a capacity of 300 mines. On 21 August 1911, she was recommissioned but retained in reserve; and, after participation in the Fleet Review at New York, she was placed in full commission on 29 November. Designated a

mine planter Mine planter and the earlier "torpedo planter" was a term used for mine warfare ships into the early days of World War I. In later terminology, particularly in the United States, a mine planter was a ship specifically designed to install controlle ...

on 19 December 1912, she remained based at Norfolk and operated in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean into 1916, when she was again ordered inactivated. In 1914, she took part in the

United States occupation of Veracruz The United States occupation of Veracruz (April 21 to November 23, 1914) began with the Battle of Veracruz and lasted for seven months. The incident came in the midst of poor diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States, and was r ...

. She was placed in reserve at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 6 June 1916, but resumed full commissioned status again on 18 October.

World War I

With the April 1917 entry of the United States into

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 ...

, ''San Francisco'' began laying

anti-submarine net An anti-submarine net or anti-submarine boom is a boom placed across the mouth of a harbour or a strait for protection against submarines. Examples of anti-submarine nets * Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom * Indicator net * Naval operations in ...

s in the Hampton Roads area. In June, she shifted to New York, where she conducted experimental deep water minelaying operations; and, during August, she underwent overhaul 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 ...

. In mid-September, she moved back down the coast to

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

where she provided net laying services until ordered to Norfolk for training duty later in the fall. From December 1917-March 1918, she underwent an extensive overhaul; and, in April, she became flagship of Mine Squadron 1. In early May, the squadron assembled at

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 ...

. On the 12th, the ships sailed for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. On the 26th, units of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

escorted the ships into Inverness. ''San Francisco'' joined the Allied effort of creating the

North Sea Mine Barrage The North Sea Mine Barrage, also known as the Northern Barrage, was a large minefield laid easterly from the Orkney Islands to Norway by the United States Navy (assisted by the Royal Navy) during World War I. The objective was to inhibit the m ...

across the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

to restrict

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

traffic into the Atlantic. ''San Francisco'' laid a total of 9,102 mines: * planting 153 mines during the 1st minelaying excursion on 7 June, * planting 170 mines during the 3rd minelaying excursion on 14 July, * planting 170 mines during the 4th minelaying excursion on 29 July, * planting 170 mines during the 5th minelaying excursion on 8 August, * planting 166 mines on 12 August to field test sensitivity settings for the antenna fuze detonating relay of the Mk 6 mines, * planting 160 mines during the 6th minelaying excursion on 18 August, * planting 170 mines during the 7th minelaying excursion on 26 August, * planting 170 mines during the 8th minelaying excursion on 7 September, * planting 170 mines during the 9th minelaying excursion on 20 September, * planting 170 mines during the 10th minelaying excursion on 27 September, * planting 170 mines during the 11th minelaying excursion on 4 October, * planting 170 mines during the 12th minelaying excursion on 13 October, and * planting 170 mines during the final 13th minelaying excursion on 24 October.Belknap, p. 110

Inter-war period

''San Francisco'' conducted minelaying operations until 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 ...

on 11 November.

Minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s then moved in, and she prepared to return home. She departed Inverness on 2 December and arrived in Hampton Roads on 3 January 1919. Overhaul followed, after which she cruised in the western Atlantic and Caribbean through 1921. Designated CM-2 (cruiser minelayer) on 17 July 1920, she was ordered inactivated in 1921; and on 6 October, she arrived at Philadelphia where she was decommissioned on 24 December 1921. Remaining in reserve through the decade, CM-2 was renamed ''Tahoe'', and then ''Yosemite'', effective 1 January 1931, to allow the name ''San Francisco'' to be given to , then under construction. As ''Yosemite'', she remained at Philadelphia for another eight years. Her name was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 8 June 1937, but she was retained at the Navy Yard until sold for scrapping to the Union Shipbuilding Company,

Baltimore, Maryland 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 ...

on 20 April 1939.

Awards

Navy Expeditionary Medal The Navy Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was established in August 1936. Award criteria The General Orders of the Department of the Navy which established the medal states, "The medal will be awarded, to ...

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish C ...

Mexican Service Medal The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military for service in Mexico from 1911 to 1919. History The Mexican Service Medal awarded by the Army was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December ...

* Victory Medal with "Minelayer" clasp

References

Bibliography

* * Belknap, Reginald Rowan. ''The Yankee Mining Squadron; or, Laying the North Sea Mining Barrage'' (1920) Annapolis:

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...

* Burr, Lawrence. ''US Cruisers 1883–1904: The Birth of the Steel Navy.'' Oxford : Osprey, 2008. * * * *

External links

*
USS ''San Francisco'' (C-5) photos at Naval History & Heritage Command
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Francisco (C-5) Banana Wars ships of the United States World War I mine warfare vessels of the United States Protected cruisers of the United States Navy Ships built in San Francisco 1889 ships Spanish–American War cruisers of the United States Cruisers of the United States Navy Ships built by Union Iron Works