.gif)
USS Lebanon (AG-2)
Encyclopedia
USS Lebanon (AG-2) was a 3,285-long-ton (3,338-metric-ton) collier
, which the United States Navy
acquired in 1898 from the Philadelphia and Reading RR. Company
to provide coal
for Navy warships during the Spanish-American War
. When the need for her coal was no longer a necessity, Lebanon was assigned various duty such as transporting stores as well as target repair and towing operations.
, in 1894; acquired by the Navy on 6 April 1898 from Philadelphia and Reading RR. Co.; and commissioned at Boston, Massachusetts on 16 April 1898, Lieutenant Commander
Charles Thomas Forse in command.
, Lebanon departed Boston on 17 May 1898 with coal for ships fighting in the Spanish-American War
. Arriving Cardenas, Cuba on 4 June, the collier operated in the Caribbean
and along the Atlantic coast for the next 10 months. Lebanon decommissioned at Norfolk, Virginia
on 15 April 1899.
on 11 August 1905, Captain
George McDonald in command. From 1905 until 1909, she operated as a collier along the U.S. East Coast sailing as far south as Nicaragua
servicing fueling stations and the fleet in the Atlantic Ocean
and in the Caribbean
. She decommissioned at Norfolk 2 October 1909.
On 1 July 1911, Lebanon again recommissioned and was assigned to duty as a range ship. Operating along the U.S. east coast during the rest of the year, she transported stores and ammunition to eastern ports before joining the fleet in the Caribbean for the 1912 winter maneuvers. For the next four years, Lebanon operated as a target towing ship during fleet exercises along the coast and in the Caribbean.
, her activities increased as she assisted the fighting ships to prepare for action in the war-ravaged waters. Lebanon continued target repair and towing operations in the Atlantic and Caribbean for the rest of her naval service.
on 6 February 1922 and was sold on 2 June.
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
, which the United States Navy
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...
acquired in 1898 from the Philadelphia and Reading RR. Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
to provide coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for Navy warships during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. When the need for her coal was no longer a necessity, Lebanon was assigned various duty such as transporting stores as well as target repair and towing operations.
Built by William Cramp in Philadelphia
Lebanon — the first ship to be so named by the U.S. Navy — was launched by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, 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,...
, in 1894; acquired by the Navy on 6 April 1898 from Philadelphia and Reading RR. Co.; and commissioned at Boston, Massachusetts on 16 April 1898, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Charles Thomas Forse in command.
Spanish-American War
After brief shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
, Lebanon departed Boston on 17 May 1898 with coal for ships fighting in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. Arriving Cardenas, Cuba on 4 June, the collier operated 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 for the next 10 months. Lebanon decommissioned at Norfolk, Virginia
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 15 April 1899.
Pre-World War I service
Lebanon recommissioned at Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
on 11 August 1905, 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....
George McDonald in command. From 1905 until 1909, she operated as a collier along the U.S. East Coast sailing as far south as Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
servicing fueling stations and the fleet in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and 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...
. She decommissioned at Norfolk 2 October 1909.
On 1 July 1911, Lebanon again recommissioned and was assigned to duty as a range ship. Operating along the U.S. east coast during the rest of the year, she transported stores and ammunition to eastern ports before joining the fleet in the Caribbean for the 1912 winter maneuvers. For the next four years, Lebanon operated as a target towing ship during fleet exercises along the coast and in the Caribbean.
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...
, her activities increased as she assisted the fighting ships to prepare for action in the war-ravaged waters. Lebanon continued target repair and towing operations in the Atlantic and Caribbean for the rest of her naval service.
Final decommissioning
Lebanon decommissioned at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 6 February 1922 and was sold on 2 June.
See also
- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe 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...
- Reading CompanyReading CompanyThe Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
- Port Richmond, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPort Richmond, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPort Richmond, also referred to as simply Richmond, is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as...
External links
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org