Denver-class cruiser

USS Denver at the North Atlantic Fleet review in 1905
Class overview
NameDenver class
BuildersVarious
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byColumbia class
Succeeded bySt. Louis class
Built1900–1905
In commission1903–1929
Completed6
Lost1
Scrapped5
General characteristics (as built)[1]
TypeProtected Cruiser
Displacement3,200 long tons (3,251 t)
Length308 ft 10 in (94.13 m)
Beam44 ft (13 m)
Draft15 ft 9 in (4.80 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 × screws
Speed16.41 knots (30.39 km/h; 18.88 mph) (trial)
Range2,200 nmi (4,100 km; 2,500 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement19 officers and 308 enlisted
Armament
Armor
  • Deck: 2+12 in (64 mm) slopes, 516 in (8 mm) flat, 1 in (25 mm) ends
  • Casemates: 1+34 in (44 mm)

The Denver-class cruisers were a group of six protected cruisers in service with the United States Navy from 1903 through 1929. Authorized by Congress in 1899 as part of the naval buildup touched off by the Spanish–American War, they were designed with peacetime duties on foreign stations and tropical service in mind, specifically patrolling Latin America and the Caribbean. However, they had insufficient armament, armor, and speed for combat with most other cruisers. Thus, they were also called "peace cruisers" and were effectively gunboats.[1] They were intended to augment the Montgomery class in these roles.[2]

  1. ^ a b Friedman, pp. 48–49, 463–464
  2. ^ Silverstone, p. 95