USRC Hudson, known for her service during the Battle of Cárdenas

Battle of Cárdenas

The Second Battle of Cárdenas was a secondary naval engagement of the Spanish–American War fought on 11 May of 1898 in the port of Cárdenas, Cuba, between an American squadron of 5 ships under Captain Chapman C. Todd and 3 small Spanish vessels under Mariano Mateu. The battle resulted in an...

, was the United States Revenue Cutter Service

United States Revenue Cutter Service

The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...

's first vessel to have a steel hull and triple-expansion steam engine.

The Hudson was assigned to New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 harbor before coming under naval direction for the Spanish–American War. On 11 May 1898 the cutter

United States Coast Guard Cutter

Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...

 Hudson, along with the Navy warships USS Winslow (TB-5)

USS Winslow (TB-5)

-External links:*...

, USS Machias (PG-5)

USS Machias (PG-5)

The first USS Machias , a schooner-rigged gunboat, was laid down in February 1891 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine. She was launched on 8 December 1891. She was sponsored by Miss Ethel Hyde, daughter of President Hyde of Bath Iron Works and commissioned at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 20...

, and USS Wilmington (PG-8)

USS Wilmington (PG-8)

USS Wilmington was laid down on 8 October 1894 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company; launched on 19 October 1895; sponsored by Mrs. Anne B. Gray; and commissioned on 13 May 1897 with Commander Chapman C...

, had pursued three Spanish gunboats into the bay of Cardenas, Cuba. There, shore batteries fired on the U.S. vessels and disabled the Winslow, knocking out her steering and a boiler, thereby putting Winslow adrift. The accurate Spanish fire wounded the Winslow's commanding officer and killed another officer and many of the crew.

Although under fire from the Spanish guns for over thirty minutes, the Hudson, commanded by First Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 Frank H. Newcomb

Frank Newcomb

Frank Hamilton Newcomb was a Commodore in the United States Revenue Cutter Service. Commodore Newcomb was most famous for his heroic actions at the Battle of Cárdenas during the Spanish-American War....

, with executive-officer James H. Scott, sailed into the bay to save the disabled Winslow. Newcomb kept the Hudson positioned in shoal waters near the Winslow, until a line was passed to the Navy warship and made fast. The Hudson then towed the Winslow out of danger. During the time in the bay, both vessels continually fired on the Spanish positions.

The Hudson carried the bodies of those killed as well as the wounded, along with the dispatches of the squadron off Cardenas, to Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

, arriving there on 14 May 1898. She remained there on blockade duty for a short time before departing to Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

. Another period of patrol ended 10 July as she returned to the blockading fleet with further dispatches. Hudson captured two fishing vessels that attempted to run the blockade off Havana. She then departed for Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, via Key West and Savannah, and arrived there on 21 August 1898 where she returned to service with the United States Treasury Department out of New York.

She continued with her traditional duties and was once again taken into the Navy for service during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 beginning on 6 April 1917. She continued her service with the Navy until returned to Treasury Department control on 28 August 1919. She returned to service with the Coast Guard

Coast guard

A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...

until she was decommissioned in 1935.