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USS Oregon (BB-3)
Encyclopedia
USS Oregon (BB-3) was a pre-Dreadnought of the United States Navy
. Her construction was authorized on 30 June 1890, and the contract to build her was awarded to Union Iron Works
of San Francisco, California
on 19 November 1890. Her keel was laid exactly one year later. She was launched on 26 October 1893, sponsored by Miss Daisy Ainsworth, delivered to the Navy on 26 June 1896, and commissioned on 15 July 1896 with Captain
H.L. Howison in command.
Oregon served for a short time with the Pacific Station
before being ordered on a voyage around South America to the East Coast in March 1898 in preparation for war with Spain. She departed from San Francisco on 19 March, and reached Jupiter Inlet 66 days later, a journey of 14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi). This was considered a remarkable achievement at the time. The journey popularized the ship with the American public and demonstrated the need for a shorter route, which led to construction of the Panama Canal
. After completing her journey Oregon was ordered to join the blockade at Santiago as part of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral Sampson. She took part in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba
, where she and the cruiser were the only ships fast enough to chase down the Spanish cruiser Cristóbal Colón
, forcing its surrender. Around this time she received the nickname "Bulldog of the Navy", most likely because of her high bow wave—known as "having a bone in her teeth" in nautical slang—and perseverance during the cruise around South America and the battle of Santiago.
After the war Oregon was refitted and sent back to the Pacific. She served for a year in the Philippines
during the Philippine–American War and then spent a year in China at Wusong
during the Boxer Rebellion
before returning to the United States for an overhaul. In March 1903 Oregon returned to Asiatic waters and stayed there for three years, decommissiong on April 1906. Oregon was recommissioned in August 1911, but saw little activity and was officially placed on reserve status in 1914. After the United States joined World War I in 1917 Oregon acted as one of the escorts for transport ships during the Siberian Intervention
. In October 1919, she was decommissioned for the final time. As a result of the Washington Naval Treaty
, Oregon was declared "incapable of further warlike service" in January 1924. In June 1925 she was loaned to the State of Oregon, who used her as a floating monument and museum in Portland
.
In February 1941, Oregon was redesignated IX–22. Due to the outbreak of World War II it was decided that the scrap value of the ship was more important than her historical value, so she was sold. Her stripped hulk was later returned to the Navy and used as an ammunition barge during the battle of Guam, where she remained for several years. During a typhoon in November 1948, she broke loose and drifted out to sea. She was located 500 miles southeast of Guam and towed back. She was sold on 15 March 1956 and scrapped in Japan.
saw the plan as an attempt to end the U.S. policy of isolationism
and did not approve it, but a year later approved funding for three coast defense battleships, which would become Oregon and her sister ships and . The ships were limited to coastal defense due to their moderate endurance, relatively small displacement
and low freeboard
, or distance from the deck to the water, which limited sea-going capability. They were however heavily armed and armored; Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships describes their design as "attempting too much on a very limited displacement."
Construction of the ships was authorized on 30 June 1890 and the contracts for Indiana and Massachusetts were awarded to William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. They also offered to build Oregon, but the Senate specified one of the ships had to be constructed on the West Coast of the United States
. Therefore the contract for Oregon—not including guns and armor—was awarded to Union Iron Works
in San Francisco, California
for $ 3,180,000. The total cost of the ship was over twice as high, approximately $6,500,000. Her keel
was laid down on 19 November 1891 and she was launched two years later on 26 October 1893, a ceremony attended by thousands of people. The construction was slowed due to delays in armor deliveries, so the ship was not completed until March 1896. Her sea trial
was on 14 May 1896, during which she achieved a speed of 16.8 kn (32.9 km/h; 20.5 mph), a significant improvement over the design speed of 15 kn (29.4 km/h; 18.3 mph) and superior to her sister ships.
H.L. Howison as the first United States battleship on the Pacific Coast. In the winter of 1897–1898 she was put in drydock where bilge keel
s were installed to improve her stability. She left dock on 16 February 1898 after receiving news that the had blown up in Havana harbor
. While she went to San Francisco to load ammunition the relations between Spain and the United States rapidly deteriorated. In San Francisco the captain got ill and was replaced by Captain Charles Edgar Clark
. Due to the impending threat of war Oregon was ordered to reinforce the North Atlantic Squadron
on the East Coast. To do so the ship would have to make a journey of roughly 14000 nautical mile around South America.
On 19 March Oregon started on the first leg of her journey, departing from San Francisco and steaming to Callao, Peru. She arrived in Callao on 4 April and resupplied coal. Her next stop would have been Valparaíso, Chile, but Clark decided to press on. Oregon entered the Strait of Magellan
on 16 April, where she encountered a severe storm. She was forced to anchor on a rocky shelf during the night and proceed the next day through the narrow passage and to Punta Arenas, Chile
. While refueling she was joined by the gunboat
, who was also sailing to the East Coast. The ships left Punta Arenas together and steamed on to Rio de Janeiro
, where they arrived on 30 April and heard the United States and Spain were now officially at war. Oregon stopped very shortly in Salvador, Brazil and then proceeded to Barbados
for a final coal resupply. She arrived off the Florida Coast on 24 May, completing a 13675 nmi (25,326.1 km) mile journey in 66 days, a remarkable achievement at the time.
The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
describes the effect of the journey on the American public and government as follows: "On one hand the feat had demonstrated the many capabilities of a heavy battleship in all conditions of wind and sea. On the other it swept away all opposition for the construction of the Panama Canal
, for it was then made clear that the country could not afford to take two months to send warships from one coast to the other each time an emergency arose." The extensive press coverage of the journey also increased the popularity of the ship with the American public.
, where she was attached to the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear admiral
William T. Sampson
. They had just received word that Commodore Winfield Scott Schley
's Flying Squadron
had found the Spanish fleet and was blockading them in the port of Santiago de Cuba
. Sampson reinforced the blockade on 1 June and assumed overall command.
In an attempt to break the stalemate, it was decided to attack Santiago from land. An expeditionary force, under the command of Major General
William Rufus Shafter
, landed east of the city and attacked it on 1 July. The Spanish commander, Admiral
Pascual Cervera y Topete
, saw that his situation was desperate and attempted to break through the blockade on 3 July 1898, resulting in the battle of Santiago de Cuba
. The cruiser
s and and battleship had left the day before to load coal in Guantanamo Bay. Admiral Sampson's flagship, the cruiser , had also sailed east earlier that morning for a meeting with General Shafter, leaving Commodore Schley in command. This left the blockade weakened and unbalanced on the day of the battle, as three modern battleships (Oregon, and ) and the armed yacht
guarded the east, while the west was only defended by the second-class battleship , cruiser and armed yacht .
When the Spanish fleet steamed out of the harbor at 9:00 on 3 July, they immediately turned westwards and tried to outrun the blockade ships. Oregon took the lead in the ensuing chase as she was the only large American ship who had good steam pressure when the battle began. The cruiser Brooklyn had uncoupled two of her four engines, but could still achieve a maximum speed of 17 kn (33.3 km/h; 20.7 mph) and was right behind her. Cervera's flagship, the , took heavy damage and Cervera ordered her driven ashore at 10:15 to prevent her from sinking. shared her fate 15 minutes later and had to beach herself at 11:15. Only the , which had a 6 nautical miles (11.1 km) lead at that point, was still running westward. She was trapped inshore of the American vessels and would need to make a large detour around Cape Cruz
60 nautical miles (111.1 km) westward. Schley ordered Oregon to keep up the chase and directed the Brooklyn directly to the point of the cape. The American ships were slowly catching up and started firing when Cristóbal Colón came within range of their forward guns. Christobal Colon—who was ordered to Cuba before her main guns could be installed—had nothing to return fire with. She struck her flag at 13:20 and was scuttled
in the mouth of Tarquino river to prevent capture by the Americans.
The battle of Santiago de Cuba was a complete victory for the United States and left Spain without a navy. Santiago capitulated on 17 July and the war itself ended less than a month later on 12 August. Oregon went to New York for a refit and departed for the Pacific in October 1898 under the command of her new Captain Albert S. Barker
. By now she had received the nickname "Bulldog of the Navy", most likely because of her high bow wave—known as "having a bone in her teeth" in nautical slang—and perseverance during the cruise around South America and the battle of Santiago.
, Puerto Rico
and the Philippines
. However, in the Philippines revolutionary forces under Emilio Aguinaldo
had ousted the Spanish colonial government, declared independence
and established the First Philippine Republic
. The United States did not recognize the republic, which led to the Philippine–American War. Oregon was sent to the Philippines to be used for gunboat diplomacy
and arrived in Manilla
on 18 March 1899. Over the next year she functioned as a station ship, took part in the capture of Vigan and performed blockades. She left the Phillipines on 13 February 1900 and cruised in Japanese waters for a few months until heading for Hong Kong in May. She then left Hong Kong on 23 June for Taku, China to take part in the Boxer Rebellion
, but grounded on a rock near the Changshan Islands on 28 June. She took significant damage and a forward compartment was flooded. After several days she was successfully re-floated and headed towards Kure, Japan, where she arrive on 17 July and was put into drydock for repairs.
On 29 August she steamed again for China, this time to serve as a station ship at Woosung
, the port town of Shangai. She stayed there until 5 May 1901, when she departed for the United States to be overhauled in the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Extensive repairs were made to her bottom and deck, to repair damage caused by her grounding in June 1900. She stayed in the navy yard for over a year and left for San Francisco on 13 September 1902. She then returned to the far east, arriving in Hong Kong on 18 March 1903. From there she returned to Woosung, where she helped quell a mutiny on a civilian ship. She remained in Asiatic waters for the next three years to support United States interests there. During that time she visited various ports in China, Japan and the Philippines and went to Honolulu during an Asiatic Fleet
winter cruise
. Early 1906 she was ordered back to United States to be modernized, for which a budget of a million dollar was approved (adjusted for inflation, approximately $23 million in 2010 dollars). She officially decommissioned on 27 April 1906 in the Puget Sound navy yard.
on the Pacific coast was formed, for which Oregon recommissioned on 29 August 1911 She remained in reserve until October, when she sailed to San Diego. The following years were ones of relative inactivity for the aging veteran, as she operated out of West Coast ports. On 9 April 1913, she was placed in ordinary at Bremerton, Washington
and on 16 September 1914 went into a reserve status, although she remained in commission. On 2 January 1915, she was again in full commission and sailed to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The ship visited Portland for the Rose Festival
in 1916, arriving on June 6. The sailors wrote the Portland mayor on June 12, especially thanking the Portland Railway & Light
streetcar company for giving the sailors free rides.
From 11 February 1916-7 April 1917, she was placed in commission in reserve, this time at San Francisco. Returned to full commission again on the latter date, Oregon remained first on the West Coast, then acted as one of the escorts for transports of the Siberian Intervention
. On 12 June 1919 she decommissioned at Bremerton. From 21 August-4 October, she recommissioned briefly and was the reviewing ship for President of the United States
Woodrow Wilson
during the arrival of the Pacific Fleet
at Seattle.
In 1921, a movement was begun to preserve the battleship as an object of historic and sentimental interest, and to lay her up permanently at some port in the state of Oregon
.
In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty
, Oregon was rendered incapable of further warlike service on 4 January 1924, and was retained on the Naval Vessel Register
as a naval relic with a classification of "unclassified". In June 1925, she was loaned to the state of Oregon
, restored, and moored at Portland, Oregon
, as a floating monument and museum.
On 17 February 1941, when identifying numbers were assigned to unclassified vessels, Oregon was redesignated IX-22.
on 2 November 1942 and sold on 7 December. On that day, one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a parade commemorating the ship marched through the streets of downtown Portland. Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson
delivered the keynote speech, and the front page of The Oregonian
included a fifteen-stanza ode to the ship by Ben Hur Lampman
. The poem ended:
She was towed to Kalama, Washington
in March 1943 for dismantling, having been sold for $35,000. The scrap company had intended on using the scrap for a barge, hoping to sell it for $150,000, but the War Shipping Administration
wanted it. The ownership of the barge went to the United States Court of Claims
, but was reinstated by the military and towed to Guam
to be used as a munitions barge during the Battle of Guam.
The hulk of the old battleship remained at Guam for several years. During a typhoon on 14–15 November 1948, she broke her moorings and drifted to sea. Finally, on 8 December, the old warrior was located by search planes some 500 miles south east of Guam and towed back. She was sold for $208,000 on 15 March 1956 to the Massey Supply Corporation, resold to the Iwai Sanggo Company, and finally towed to Kawasaki
, Japan, and scrapped.
Her mast
survives as a memorial located in Tom McCall Waterfront Park
in Portland, Oregon
. On 4 July 1976, a time capsule was sealed in the base of the memorial. The time capsule is scheduled to be opened on 5 July 2076.
Oregons two funnels were preserved for a time at a separate location, in Portland's Liberty Ship Memorial Park. http://members.tripod.com/~ussoregon/Stacks.html In 2006, the funnels were put into storage and the park (always on private property) became part of the Waterfront Pearl http://www.waterfrontpearl.com/ condominium development site. http://www.indiodesign.com/libertyshippark/
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...
. Her construction was authorized on 30 June 1890, and the contract to build her was awarded to Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 19 November 1890. Her keel was laid exactly one year later. She was launched on 26 October 1893, sponsored by Miss Daisy Ainsworth, delivered to the Navy on 26 June 1896, and commissioned on 15 July 1896 with 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....
H.L. Howison in command.
Oregon served for a short time with the Pacific Station
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
before being ordered on a voyage around South America to the East Coast in March 1898 in preparation for war with Spain. She departed from San Francisco on 19 March, and reached Jupiter Inlet 66 days later, a journey of 14,000 nautical miles (26,000 km; 16,000 mi). This was considered a remarkable achievement at the time. The journey popularized the ship with the American public and demonstrated the need for a shorter route, which led to construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. After completing her journey Oregon was ordered to join the blockade at Santiago as part of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral Sampson. She took part in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba
Battle of Santiago de Cuba
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba, fought between Spain and the United States on 3 July 1898, was the largest naval engagement of the Spanish-American War and resulted in the destruction of the Spanish Navy's Caribbean Squadron.-Spanish Fleet:...
, where she and the cruiser were the only ships fast enough to chase down the Spanish cruiser Cristóbal Colón
Spanish cruiser Cristobal Colon
Cristóbal Colón was a Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armored cruiser of the Spanish Navy that fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.-Technical Characteristics:...
, forcing its surrender. Around this time she received the nickname "Bulldog of the Navy", most likely because of her high bow wave—known as "having a bone in her teeth" in nautical slang—and perseverance during the cruise around South America and the battle of Santiago.
After the war Oregon was refitted and sent back to the Pacific. She served for a year in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during the Philippine–American War and then spent a year in China at Wusong
Wusong
Wusong,Chinese: s , t , p Wúsōng. formerly Woosung, was a port town located fourteen miles downriver from Shanghai.The Battle of Woosung occurred on 16 June 1842 between British and Chinese forces during the First Opium War. It was the site of China's first telegraph wires and first railroad, both...
during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
before returning to the United States for an overhaul. In March 1903 Oregon returned to Asiatic waters and stayed there for three years, decommissiong on April 1906. Oregon was recommissioned in August 1911, but saw little activity and was officially placed on reserve status in 1914. After the United States joined World War I in 1917 Oregon acted as one of the escorts for transport ships during the Siberian Intervention
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
. In October 1919, she was decommissioned for the final time. As a result of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
, Oregon was declared "incapable of further warlike service" in January 1924. In June 1925 she was loaned to the State of Oregon, who used her as a floating monument and museum in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
In February 1941, Oregon was redesignated IX–22. Due to the outbreak of World War II it was decided that the scrap value of the ship was more important than her historical value, so she was sold. Her stripped hulk was later returned to the Navy and used as an ammunition barge during the battle of Guam, where she remained for several years. During a typhoon in November 1948, she broke loose and drifted out to sea. She was located 500 miles southeast of Guam and towed back. She was sold on 15 March 1956 and scrapped in Japan.
Design and construction
Oregon was constructed from a modified version of a design drawn up by a policy board in 1889 for a short-range battleship. The original design was part of an ambitious naval construction plan to build 33 battleships and 167 smaller ships. The United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
saw the plan as an attempt to end the U.S. policy of isolationism
United States non-interventionism
Non-interventionism, the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations in order to avoid being drawn into wars not related to direct territorial self-defense, has had a long history in the United States...
and did not approve it, but a year later approved funding for three coast defense battleships, which would become Oregon and her sister ships and . The ships were limited to coastal defense due to their moderate endurance, relatively small displacement
Displacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
and low freeboard
Freeboard (nautical)
In sailing and boating, freeboardmeans the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship...
, or distance from the deck to the water, which limited sea-going capability. They were however heavily armed and armored; Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships describes their design as "attempting too much on a very limited displacement."
Construction of the ships was authorized on 30 June 1890 and the contracts for Indiana and Massachusetts were awarded to William Cramp & Sons in 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,...
. They also offered to build Oregon, but the Senate specified one of the ships had to be constructed on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Therefore the contract for Oregon—not including guns and armor—was awarded to Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
for $ 3,180,000. The total cost of the ship was over twice as high, approximately $6,500,000. Her keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
was laid down on 19 November 1891 and she was launched two years later on 26 October 1893, a ceremony attended by thousands of people. The construction was slowed due to delays in armor deliveries, so the ship was not completed until March 1896. Her sea trial
Sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
was on 14 May 1896, during which she achieved a speed of 16.8 kn (32.9 km/h; 20.5 mph), a significant improvement over the design speed of 15 kn (29.4 km/h; 18.3 mph) and superior to her sister ships.
Journey around South America
Oregon was commissioned on 16 July 1896 under the command of CaptainCaptain (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....
H.L. Howison as the first United States battleship on the Pacific Coast. In the winter of 1897–1898 she was put in drydock where bilge keel
Bilge keel
A bilge keel is used to reduce the hull's tendency to roll. Bilge keels are employed in pairs . A ship may have more than one bilge keel per side, but this is rare. Bilge keels increase hydrodynamic resistance to rolling, making the ship roll less...
s were installed to improve her stability. She left dock on 16 February 1898 after receiving news that the had blown up in Havana harbor
Havana Harbor
Havana Harbor is the port of Havana, the capital of Cuba, and it is the main port in Cuba . Most vessels coming to the island make port in Havana...
. While she went to San Francisco to load ammunition the relations between Spain and the United States rapidly deteriorated. In San Francisco the captain got ill and was replaced by Captain Charles Edgar Clark
Charles Edgar Clark
Rear Admiral Charles Edgar Clark was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War.-Biography:...
. Due to the impending threat of war Oregon was ordered to reinforce the North Atlantic Squadron
North Atlantic Squadron
The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...
on the East Coast. To do so the ship would have to make a journey of roughly 14000 nautical mile around South America.
On 19 March Oregon started on the first leg of her journey, departing from San Francisco and steaming to Callao, Peru. She arrived in Callao on 4 April and resupplied coal. Her next stop would have been Valparaíso, Chile, but Clark decided to press on. Oregon entered the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
on 16 April, where she encountered a severe storm. She was forced to anchor on a rocky shelf during the night and proceed the next day through the narrow passage and to Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas...
. While refueling she was joined by the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
, who was also sailing to the East Coast. The ships left Punta Arenas together and steamed on to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, where they arrived on 30 April and heard the United States and Spain were now officially at war. Oregon stopped very shortly in Salvador, Brazil and then proceeded to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
for a final coal resupply. She arrived off the Florida Coast on 24 May, completing a 13675 nmi (25,326.1 km) mile journey in 66 days, a remarkable achievement at the time.
The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy...
describes the effect of the journey on the American public and government as follows: "On one hand the feat had demonstrated the many capabilities of a heavy battleship in all conditions of wind and sea. On the other it swept away all opposition for the construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, for it was then made clear that the country could not afford to take two months to send warships from one coast to the other each time an emergency arose." The extensive press coverage of the journey also increased the popularity of the ship with the American public.
Spanish–American War
Oregon proceeded to the naval base at Key WestKey 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....
, where she was attached to the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
William T. Sampson
William T. Sampson
William Thomas Sampson was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.-Biography:...
. They had just received word that Commodore Winfield Scott Schley
Winfield Scott Schley
Winfield Scott Schley was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the hero of the Battle of Santiago Bay during the Spanish-American War.-Civil War:...
's Flying Squadron
Flying Squadron (US Navy)
The Flying Squadron was a United States Navy force that operated in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies during the first half of the Spanish-American War...
had found the Spanish fleet and was blockading them in the port of Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
. Sampson reinforced the blockade on 1 June and assumed overall command.
In an attempt to break the stalemate, it was decided to attack Santiago from land. An expeditionary force, under the command of Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
William Rufus Shafter
William Rufus Shafter
William Rufus Shafter was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War who received America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Fair Oaks. Shafter also played a prominent part as a major general in the Spanish-American War...
, landed east of the city and attacked it on 1 July. The Spanish commander, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Pascual Cervera y Topete
Pascual Cervera y Topete
Pascual Cervera y Topete served as an admiral of the Spanish Caribbean Squadron during the Spanish-American War, and prior to this served his country in a variety of military and political roles....
, saw that his situation was desperate and attempted to break through the blockade on 3 July 1898, resulting in the battle of Santiago de Cuba
Battle of Santiago de Cuba
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba, fought between Spain and the United States on 3 July 1898, was the largest naval engagement of the Spanish-American War and resulted in the destruction of the Spanish Navy's Caribbean Squadron.-Spanish Fleet:...
. The cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s and and battleship had left the day before to load coal in Guantanamo Bay. Admiral Sampson's flagship, the cruiser , had also sailed east earlier that morning for a meeting with General Shafter, leaving Commodore Schley in command. This left the blockade weakened and unbalanced on the day of the battle, as three modern battleships (Oregon, and ) and the armed yacht
Armed yacht
An armed yacht was a yacht that was armed with weapons and was typically in the service of a navy. Their speed and maneuverability made them useful as patrol vessels. In the United States Navy armed yachts were typically private yachts expropriated for government use in times of war. Armed yachts...
guarded the east, while the west was only defended by the second-class battleship , cruiser and armed yacht .
When the Spanish fleet steamed out of the harbor at 9:00 on 3 July, they immediately turned westwards and tried to outrun the blockade ships. Oregon took the lead in the ensuing chase as she was the only large American ship who had good steam pressure when the battle began. The cruiser Brooklyn had uncoupled two of her four engines, but could still achieve a maximum speed of 17 kn (33.3 km/h; 20.7 mph) and was right behind her. Cervera's flagship, the , took heavy damage and Cervera ordered her driven ashore at 10:15 to prevent her from sinking. shared her fate 15 minutes later and had to beach herself at 11:15. Only the , which had a 6 nautical miles (11.1 km) lead at that point, was still running westward. She was trapped inshore of the American vessels and would need to make a large detour around Cape Cruz
Cape Cruz
Cape Cruz, , is a cape which forms the western extremity of the Granma Province in southern Cuba. It extends into the Caribbean sea and marks the eastern border of the Gulf of Guacanayabo....
60 nautical miles (111.1 km) westward. Schley ordered Oregon to keep up the chase and directed the Brooklyn directly to the point of the cape. The American ships were slowly catching up and started firing when Cristóbal Colón came within range of their forward guns. Christobal Colon—who was ordered to Cuba before her main guns could be installed—had nothing to return fire with. She struck her flag at 13:20 and was scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
in the mouth of Tarquino river to prevent capture by the Americans.
The battle of Santiago de Cuba was a complete victory for the United States and left Spain without a navy. Santiago capitulated on 17 July and the war itself ended less than a month later on 12 August. Oregon went to New York for a refit and departed for the Pacific in October 1898 under the command of her new Captain Albert S. Barker
Albert S. Barker
Albert Smith Barker was an admiral in the United States Navy who served during the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War.-Biography:...
. By now she had received the nickname "Bulldog of the Navy", most likely because of her high bow wave—known as "having a bone in her teeth" in nautical slang—and perseverance during the cruise around South America and the battle of Santiago.
Asiatic Station
After the war the United States annexed the Spanish colonies of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. However, in the Philippines revolutionary forces under Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the subsequent Philippine-American War or War of Philippine Independence that resisted American occupation...
had ousted the Spanish colonial government, declared independence
Philippine Declaration of Independence
The Philippine Declaration of Independence occurred on June 12, 1898 in Cavite II el Viejo , Cavite, Philippines. With the public reading of the Act of the Declaration of Independence, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the...
and established the First Philippine Republic
First Philippine Republic
The Philippine Republic , more commonly known as the First Philippine Republic or the Malolos Republic was a short-lived insurgent revolutionary government in the Philippines...
. The United States did not recognize the republic, which led to the Philippine–American War. Oregon was sent to the Philippines to be used for gunboat diplomacy
Gunboat diplomacy
In international politics, gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power — implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare, should terms not be agreeable to the superior force....
and arrived in Manilla
Manilla
Manilla may refer to:Currency*Manillas, the 'bracelet' currency of West AfricaPlace names* Manilla, New South Wales, Australia* Manilla, Indiana, United States* Manilla, Iowa, United States* Manilla, Ontario, Canada...
on 18 March 1899. Over the next year she functioned as a station ship, took part in the capture of Vigan and performed blockades. She left the Phillipines on 13 February 1900 and cruised in Japanese waters for a few months until heading for Hong Kong in May. She then left Hong Kong on 23 June for Taku, China to take part in the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
, but grounded on a rock near the Changshan Islands on 28 June. She took significant damage and a forward compartment was flooded. After several days she was successfully re-floated and headed towards Kure, Japan, where she arrive on 17 July and was put into drydock for repairs.
On 29 August she steamed again for China, this time to serve as a station ship at Woosung
Woosung
Woosung may refer to:* Wusong, an area of Shanghai formerly transliterated as Woosung* Woosung, Illinois, a town in United States named after Wusong, China....
, the port town of Shangai. She stayed there until 5 May 1901, when she departed for the United States to be overhauled in the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Extensive repairs were made to her bottom and deck, to repair damage caused by her grounding in June 1900. She stayed in the navy yard for over a year and left for San Francisco on 13 September 1902. She then returned to the far east, arriving in Hong Kong on 18 March 1903. From there she returned to Woosung, where she helped quell a mutiny on a civilian ship. She remained in Asiatic waters for the next three years to support United States interests there. During that time she visited various ports in China, Japan and the Philippines and went to Honolulu during an Asiatic Fleet
United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was part of the U.S. Navy. Preceding the World War II era, until 1942, the fleet protected the Philippines.Originally the Asiatic Squadron, it was upgraded to fleet status in 1902. In 1907, the fleet became the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. However, on 28...
winter cruise
Cruising (maritime)
Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...
. Early 1906 she was ordered back to United States to be modernized, for which a budget of a million dollar was approved (adjusted for inflation, approximately $23 million in 2010 dollars). She officially decommissioned on 27 April 1906 in the Puget Sound navy yard.
Second Commission
In 1911 a reserve fleetReserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
on the Pacific coast was formed, for which Oregon recommissioned on 29 August 1911 She remained in reserve until October, when she sailed to San Diego. The following years were ones of relative inactivity for the aging veteran, as she operated out of West Coast ports. On 9 April 1913, she was placed in ordinary at Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
and on 16 September 1914 went into a reserve status, although she remained in commission. On 2 January 1915, she was again in full commission and sailed to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The ship visited Portland for the Rose Festival
Rose Festival
Rose Festival may refer to:*Kutno Rose Festival in Kutno, Poland*Portland Rose Festival in Portland, Oregon*Texas Rose Festival in Tyler, Texas...
in 1916, arriving on June 6. The sailors wrote the Portland mayor on June 12, especially thanking the Portland Railway & Light
Portland Railway, Light and Power Company
The Portland Railway, Light and Power Company was a railway company and electric power utility in Portland, Oregon, United States, from 1906 until 1924....
streetcar company for giving the sailors free rides.
From 11 February 1916-7 April 1917, she was placed in commission in reserve, this time at San Francisco. Returned to full commission again on the latter date, Oregon remained first on the West Coast, then acted as one of the escorts for transports of the Siberian Intervention
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
. On 12 June 1919 she decommissioned at Bremerton. From 21 August-4 October, she recommissioned briefly and was the reviewing ship for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
during the arrival of the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
at Seattle.
Inter-war period
With the adoption of ship classification symbols on 17 July 1920, Oregon was redesignated BB-3.In 1921, a movement was begun to preserve the battleship as an object of historic and sentimental interest, and to lay her up permanently at some port in the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
, Oregon was rendered incapable of further warlike service on 4 January 1924, and was retained on the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
as a naval relic with a classification of "unclassified". In June 1925, she was loaned to the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, restored, and moored at Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, as a floating monument and museum.
On 17 February 1941, when identifying numbers were assigned to unclassified vessels, Oregon was redesignated IX-22.
Fate
With the outbreak of World War II, it was deemed that the scrap value of the old veteran was vital and necessary to the war effort of the nation. Accordingly, she was struck from the Naval Vessel RegisterNaval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 2 November 1942 and sold on 7 December. On that day, one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a parade commemorating the ship marched through the streets of downtown Portland. Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
delivered the keynote speech, and the front page of The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
included a fifteen-stanza ode to the ship by Ben Hur Lampman
Ben Hur Lampman
Ben Hur Lampman was a U.S. newspaper editor, essayist, short story writer, and poet. He was a longtime editor at The Oregonian in Portland, Oregon, and he served as Poet Laureate of Oregon from 1951 until his death....
. The poem ended:
She was towed to Kalama, Washington
Kalama, Washington
Kalama is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is part of the 'Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 2,344 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in March 1943 for dismantling, having been sold for $35,000. The scrap company had intended on using the scrap for a barge, hoping to sell it for $150,000, but the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
wanted it. The ownership of the barge went to the United States Court of Claims
United States Court of Claims
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855 as the Court of Claims, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims , and abolished in 1982....
, but was reinstated by the military and towed to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
to be used as a munitions barge during the Battle of Guam.
The hulk of the old battleship remained at Guam for several years. During a typhoon on 14–15 November 1948, she broke her moorings and drifted to sea. Finally, on 8 December, the old warrior was located by search planes some 500 miles south east of Guam and towed back. She was sold for $208,000 on 15 March 1956 to the Massey Supply Corporation, resold to the Iwai Sanggo Company, and finally towed to Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
, Japan, and scrapped.
Surviving pieces
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
survives as a memorial located in Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a park located on the west bank of the Willamette River in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is , comprising 16 tax lots owned by the City of Portland....
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. On 4 July 1976, a time capsule was sealed in the base of the memorial. The time capsule is scheduled to be opened on 5 July 2076.
Oregons two funnels were preserved for a time at a separate location, in Portland's Liberty Ship Memorial Park. http://members.tripod.com/~ussoregon/Stacks.html In 2006, the funnels were put into storage and the park (always on private property) became part of the Waterfront Pearl http://www.waterfrontpearl.com/ condominium development site. http://www.indiodesign.com/libertyshippark/