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USS Lawrence (DD-8)
Encyclopedia
The third USS Lawrence (DD-8) was a in the United States Navy
. She was named for Captain
James Lawrence
.
Lawrence was laid down on 10 April 1899 by Fore River Ship & Engine Company
, Weymouth, Massachusetts
; launched on 7 November 1900; sponsored by Miss Ruth Lawrence, great niece of Captain Lawrence; and commissioned on 7 April 1903, Lieutenant
Andre M. Proctor in command.
coast during the summer of 1903. The torpedo boat departed Norfolk
on 17 December, and sailed to Key West
for winter exercises.
During 1904, she performed Midshipmen cruises and acted as a torpedo practice ship. She continued exercises in the Caribbean
and along the Atlantic coast until she decommissioned at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on 14 November 1906.
Lawrence recommissioned on 23 July 1907 and resumed training operations out of Norfolk. Departing Hampton Roads
on 2 December, she sailed with the torpedo flotilla for winter maneuvers in the Caribbean and off South America
. She arrived at San Diego on 28 April 1908 and stood out San Francisco eight days later as the "Great White Fleet
" steamed into San Francisco Bay
. During the next four years, she operated in the Pacific with the 3rd Torpedo Flotilla patrolling the coast from Canada
to Panama
and engaged in exercises with the fleet. From 1 June 1912-23 April 1914, Lawrence was in commission in reserve.
Returned to full commission status, she departed San Francisco on 25 April to patrol the Mexican
coast and protect American and foreign nationals during the Mexican revolution. Returning to Mare Island
on 12 September, the destroyer was once again placed in reserve status.
, Lawrence was placed in full commission on 13 June 1917 to join coastal defense units. Arriving Balboa, Panama
, on 29 July, she guarded the ocean approaches to the Panama Canal Zone
until on 30 May 1918, when she steamed toward Key West. Upon her arrival there she operated as coastal escort and patrol ship. After the Armistice
, Lawrence steamed to Philadelphia, arriving there on 1 February 1919. She decommissioned on 20 June and was sold to Joseph G. Hitner
of Philadelphia on 3 January 1920.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was named for Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
James Lawrence
James Lawrence
James Lawrence was an American naval officer. During the War of 1812, he commanded the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against HMS Shannon...
.
Lawrence was laid down on 10 April 1899 by Fore River Ship & Engine Company
Fore River Shipyard
The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved...
, Weymouth, Massachusetts
Weymouth, Massachusetts
The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...
; launched on 7 November 1900; sponsored by Miss Ruth Lawrence, great niece of Captain Lawrence; and commissioned on 7 April 1903, Lieutenant
Lieutenant (naval)
LieutenantThe pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between or , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and or , generally associated with the United States. See lieutenant. is a commissioned officer rank in many nations' navies...
Andre M. Proctor in command.
Pre-World War I
Assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla, Lawrence operated along the Atlantic coast, taking part in the fleet search problem off the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast during the summer of 1903. The torpedo boat departed Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on 17 December, and sailed 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....
for winter exercises.
During 1904, she performed Midshipmen cruises and acted as a torpedo practice ship. She continued exercises in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and along the Atlantic coast until she decommissioned at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
on 14 November 1906.
Lawrence recommissioned on 23 July 1907 and resumed training operations out of Norfolk. Departing Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 2 December, she sailed with the torpedo flotilla for winter maneuvers in the Caribbean and off South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. She arrived at San Diego on 28 April 1908 and stood out San Francisco eight days later as the "Great White Fleet
Great White Fleet
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...
" steamed into San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. During the next four years, she operated in the Pacific with the 3rd Torpedo Flotilla patrolling the coast from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and engaged in exercises with the fleet. From 1 June 1912-23 April 1914, Lawrence was in commission in reserve.
Returned to full commission status, she departed San Francisco on 25 April to patrol the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
coast and protect American and foreign nationals during the Mexican revolution. Returning to Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
on 12 September, the destroyer was once again placed in reserve status.
World War I
After America's entry into World War IWorld 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...
, Lawrence was placed in full commission on 13 June 1917 to join coastal defense units. Arriving Balboa, Panama
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, on 29 July, she guarded the ocean approaches to the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
until on 30 May 1918, when she steamed toward Key West. Upon her arrival there she operated as coastal escort and patrol ship. After the Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
, Lawrence steamed to Philadelphia, arriving there on 1 February 1919. She decommissioned on 20 June and was sold to Joseph G. Hitner
Joseph G. Hitner
Joseph G. Hitner owned an iron works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.He purchased many United States Navy ships in the early 1900s, converting some of them to merchant ships and scrapping others.-References:...
of Philadelphia on 3 January 1920.