USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Overview:
- Nation: United States
- Type: Battleship
- Shipyard: New York Naval Shipyard
- Laid Down: March 10, 1903
- Launched: September 29, 1904
- Commissioned: September 29, 1906
- Fate: Scrapped, November 1, 1923
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Specifications
- Displacement: 16,300 tons
- Length: 456 ft., 4 in.
- Beam: 76 ft., 10 in.
- Draft: 24 ft., 6 in.
- Speed: 18 knots
- Complement: 827 men
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Armament
Guns (1945)USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Construction:
In
1901, Secretary of the Navy John Davis Long asked the US Navy's various
boards and bureaus for their thoughts on designs for future
battleships. Though the responses centered on arming the new battleship
with four 12" guns, arguments ensued regarding the vessel's secondary
armament. After lengthy debate, it was decided to equip the new design
with eight 8" guns mounted in four waist turrets. These would be
supplemented by twelve rapid-fire 7" guns. Agreeing on this compromise,
the new design was put forward and on July 1, 1902 approval was given
for construction two battleships, USS Connecticut and USS Louisiana. Dubbed the Connecticut-class, this type would ultimately comprise six battleships.
On March 10, 1903, USS Connecticut
was laid down at New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, NY. Work quickly
moved forward and the ship was launched on September 29, 1904 with the
granddaughter of Civil War Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Alice B. Welles, as its sponsor. During the course of Connecticut's
construction several attempts to sabotage the vessel were discovered
leading the US Navy to post armed guards around the unfinished vessel.
Completed in 1906, Connecticut was commissioned on September 29
with Captain William Swift in command. Though the US Navy's most modern
battleship, it was rendered obsolete that December when Admiral Sir John Fisher introduced the "all-big gun" HMS Dreadnought. As a result, the Connecticut-class was the US Navy's last type of battleship to not follow the lead set by the British ship.
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Joining the Fleet:
Putting to sea on December 15, 1906, Connecticut
conducted training off the Virginia Capes before steaming south to the
Caribbean for a shakedown cruise. Operating off Cuba and Puerto Rico,
the battleship grounded near Culebra on January 13, 1907. As a result
of the incident, Swift was court-martialed and removed from the ship.
Returning to Hampton Roads in April, Connecticut became the
flagship of Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, commander of the Atlantic
Fleet. Nine days later, President Theodore Roosevelt opened the
Jamestown Exposition nearby. Serving as the US Navy's official host
vessel for the exposition, Connecticut's crew entertained their
counterparts from foreign warships and took part in events ashore. The
ship's quarterdeck served as the venue for the exposition's closing
ceremonies on May 4.
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - The Great White Fleet:
After participating in the Presidential Fleet Review in June, Connecticut
returned to New York for an overhaul. With work complete, the
battleship engaged in maneuvers off the East Coast before re-entering
the yard in preparation for serving flagship of the Great White Fleet.
Conceived by Roosevelt, the Great White Fleet was a force of sixteen
American battleships that would sail around world spreading goodwill as
well as demonstrating the United States' naval power. Departing New
York featuring the distinctive white and buff paint scheme used by the
fleet, Connecticut joined the other battleships at Hampton Roads
on December 6. After a send off by Roosevelt, the fleet departed on
December 16 with Evans in command.
Moving south through
the Atlantic, the Great White Fleet made calls at Trinidad and Rio de
Janeiro before arriving at Punta Arenas, Chile on February 1, 1908.
Steaming around Cape Horn, the fleet passed in review off Valparaiso,
Chile before making port at Callao, Peru. Departing on February 29, Connecticut
and the other battleships conducted three weeks of gunnery practice off
Mexico the following month. During this time, Evans departed the ship
due to ill health. He rejoined Connecticut in time to take part
in the Great White Fleet's passage through the Golden Gate and arrival
at San Francisco on May 6. After a series of parties and receptions,
the fleet departed with Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry in command.
Following a call at Seattle, the battleships sailed for Hawaii on July
7.
The latter part of the summer saw Connecticut
and the fleet visit Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne before proceeding
north to Manila in the Philippines. Warmly greeted at each port, the
sailors of the fleet were the frequent subjects of parades, parties, and
sporting events. Arriving at Yokohama, Japan on October 18, the fleet
was welcomed with exceptional hospitality. In port for a week, the men
of the fleet were treated to constant celebrations, including one hosted
by famed Admiral Togo Heihachiro, victor of the 1905 Battle of Tsushima. Departing Japan, the fleet exercised off the Philippines before moving south past Singapore and entering the Indian Ocean.
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Returning Home:
After
taking coal at Colombo, Ceylon, Sperry led the fleet to and through the
Suez Canal. Entering the Mediterranean, the fleet split with its
divisions making calls at numerous ports. Rejoining at Gibraltar, Connecticut
and the other battleships departed for home on February 6, 1909.
Arriving at Hampton Roads on February 22, the fleet passed in review for
Roosevelt before anchoring. After an overhaul in March which saw the
ship's paint scheme returned its normal gray, Connecticut resumed
its place as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet. While conducting normal
peacetime operations, the battleship's routine was broken the following
year when it conducted a midshipman cruise to Britain and France.
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - Prewar Years:
The next four years saw Connecticut
largely operate in the Atlantic and Caribbean taking part in exercises
and protecting American interests in Latin America. Steaming off Cuba
in July 1915, the battleship embarked Marines for service in
revolution-torn Haiti. Landing the 2nd Marine Regiment at
Port-au-Prince, Connecticut remained in the area and its Marine force, led by Major Smedley Butler, conducted missions ashore. Arriving at Philadelphia, Connecticut was transferred to the Reserve Fleet on December 15. This retirement proved brief as tensions regarding Germany's practice of unrestricted submarine warfare and the possible US entry into World War I led to it being recommissioned on October 3, 1916.
USS Connecticut (BB-18) - World War I & Retirement:
Returning to active duty, Connecticut was made flagship of the Fifth Battleship Division and began operating off the East Coast and Caribbean. It remained in this role until the US joined the war in April 1917. As the conflict raged, Connecticut largely served in a training capacity and was based in Virginia. Steaming offshore and in the Chesapeake Bay, the battleship educated midshipmen and gun crews for merchant ships. With the Allied victory in November 1918, Connecticut's role began to change. In January 1919, the ship was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Command and spent the first half of the year bringing troops home from Europe.In June, Connecticut was made flagship of Vice Admiral Hilary P. Jones' Second Battleship Squadron. The following year saw it return to a training role as it conducted a midshipman cruise to the West Coast. In March 1921, the squadron conducted maneuvers in the Caribbean before taking part in the Presidential Fleet Review on April 28. That summer saw the ship conduct another training cruise, this time to Europe. Arriving home in August, Connecticut received orders to join the Pacific Fleet that fall. Designated as training flagship for the fleet, Connecticut fulfilled this role through 1922. With the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited warship tonnage, the aging battleship was selected for scrapping. Arriving at Puget Sound Navy Yard on December 22, Connecticut was decommissioned on March 1, 1923. On November 1, it was sold for scrap to Walter W. Johnson of San Francisco.
I wish blogs had like buttons!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mamahen! Right above the comment block there are "Reaction" boxes you can check off. Some blogs have more - I don't how to do them though. Glad you like the pics from my Dad!
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