USS Yorktown (PG-1)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Yorktown.

USS Yorktown, c. 1890–1901
USS Yorktown, c. 1890–1901
History
United States
NameYorktown
NamesakeBattle of Yorktown
Awarded1885
BuilderWilliam Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia
Laid down14 May 1887
Launched28 April 1888
Completed19 March 1889[1]
Commissioned23 April 1889
Decommissioned8 December 1897
Recommissioned17 November 1898
Decommissioned17 June 1903
Recommissioned1 October 1906
Decommissioned15 July 1912
Recommissioned1 April 1913
Decommissioned12 June 1919
FateSold, 30 September 1921[2]
General characteristics
Class and typeYorktown-class gunboat
Displacement
  • 1,710 long tons (1,740 t)[3]
  • 1,910 long tons (1,940 t) (fully loaded)
Length
  • 244 ft 5 in (74.50 m) (oa)[3]
  • 230 ft (70 m) (wl)[3]
  • 226 feet (69 m) (lpp)[4]
Beam36 ft (11 m)[3]
Draft14 ft (4.3 m)[3]
Propulsion
Sail planthree-masted schooner rig with a total sail area of 6,300 sq ft (590 m2)[4]
Speed16 knots (30 km/h)[3]
Endurance3,443 nautical miles @ 10 knots (6,376 km @ 19 km/h)[3]
Complement191 officers and enlisted
Armament
Armor

USS Yorktown was lead ship of her class of steel-hulled, twin-screw gunboats in the United States Navy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the second U.S. Navy ship named in honor of the American Revolutionary War's Battle of Yorktown.

Yorktown was laid down by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia in May 1887 and launched in April 1888. She was just over 244 feet (74 m) long and 36 feet (11 m) abeam, and displaced 1,710 long tons (1,740 t). She was equipped with two steam engines which were supplemented with three schooner-rigged masts. The ship's main battery consisted of six 6-inch (15.2 cm) guns and was augmented by an assortment of smaller-caliber guns.

At launch, Yorktown joined the Squadron of Evolution of "New Navy" steel-hulled ships. Detached from that squadron, Yorktown, under the command of Robley D. Evans, sailed to Valparaíso, Chile, during the 1891 Baltimore Crisis and relieved USS Baltimore at that port. After that situation was resolved, Yorktown took part in the joint British–American sealing patrol in Alaskan waters and duty on the Asiatic Station before returning to the United States in 1898. Yorktown was out of commission during the Spanish–American War, but took part in actions in the Philippine–American War and the Boxer Rebellion in 1899 and 1900, respectively, after she had been recommissioned.

After three years out of commission from 1903 to 1906, Yorktown hosted the Secretary of the Navy on board when he greeted the Great White Fleet on its arrival in San Francisco in May 1908. Over the next five years, most of Yorktown's time was spent in sealing patrols in Alaska and duty in Latin American ports. From July 1912, Yorktown was out of commission for alterations, but resumed duties off the Mexican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran coasts beginning in April 1913. Through World War I, Yorktown continued in the same role, until she departed for the East Coast of the United States in April 1918. She served an escort for one convoy headed to Halifax in August, and remained in coastal escort duties in the east until January 1919. After arrival at San Diego in February, she was decommissioned for the final time in June 1919, and was assigned the hull number PG-1 the following year. She was sold in 1921 to an Oakland, California firm and broken up that same year.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT-complete was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Yorktown". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Silverstone, p. 67.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYT-launch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Bauer and Roberts, p. 155.