USS Terror (BM-4)
Encyclopedia
USS Terror (Monitor No. 4) — the totally rebuilt version of the earlier monitor
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
, which had shared the Terror's name — was an iron-hulled, twin-screw, double-turreted monitor
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
of the , laid down in 1874 at Philadelphia by William Cramp and Sons
William Cramp and Sons
thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...
. Her construction progressed over the next three years until suspended in 1877. Work was resumed six years later, and the monitor was launched on 24 March 1883.
Delivered to the 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...
in 1887, the still-unfinished warship was taken to the New York Navy Yard for completion. Over the next seven years, she fitted out at a snail's pace. Terror was finally commissioned at New York
New 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 15 April 1896, with Captain Purnell Frederick Harrington in command.
Spanish-American War
Assigned to the North Atlantic SquadronNorth 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...
, Terror operated off the east coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, from Tompkinsville, N.Y., to 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...
and Fort Monroe, Va.
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
; and from Sandy Hook, N.J., to Charleston, S.C., through the winter of 1897 and 1898. The mysterious explosion which wrecked the armored cruiser
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
at 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...
Harbor on 15 February 1898 materially increased tensions between the United States and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Terror sped south from Tompkinsville to join the fleet concentrating in southern waters and arrived at 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....
on 2 April 1898.
On 22 April, after receiving orders from President
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....
William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, 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:...
, commanding the North Atlantic Squadron from (Armored Cruiser No. 2), deployed his fleet in preparation for a blockade of the Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n coast. Three days later, the United States declared war
Declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
on Spain, beginning 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...
. Terror, which had arrived off Cardenas, Cuba, on the 24th, captured a Cuban vessel — Almansas — on the first day of hostilities, but later released her. Over the next two days, the monitor took two Spanish ships, Ambrosia Bolivar and Guido, and sent the prizes to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the Spanish fleet under 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
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....
prompted concern in naval circles in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Intelligence estimates which reached Sampson noted that the Spanish fleet had departed the Cape Verde Islands
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
on the morning of 29 April. Sampson reacted by deciding to meet Cervera's fleet at San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, the nearest Spanish base in the West Indies
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...
. With his flag in New York, Rear Admiral Sampson scraped together a makeshift squadron — which included Terror and a sistership, (Monitor No. 2), as well as battleships (Battleship No. 4) and (Battleship No. 1), (Torpedo Boat No. 6), two auxiliaries and a collier — and departed Key West on 3 May.
Terror and Amphitrite broke down frequently en route and materially delayed Sampson's passage. At one point, New York took both Terror and Porter in tow. Upon arrival off San Juan on 12 May, the Americans found no Spanish ships in the harbor. In order to "develop their positions and strength," Sampson decided to conduct a brief bombardment of the shore defenses. The squadron stood in for their target at 04:00, on 12 May 1898, with the ships cleared for action and the lights of the town clearly visible in the predawn darkness. Sounding general quarters at 05:00, the Americans opened fire within 15 minutes, and the Spanish began returning fire at 05:23.
Terror stood in, fifth in column, duelling with the Spanish shore batteries in a spirited engagement for the next three hours. As the action wore on, a tremendous volume of white smoke restricted visibility and caused the Admiral to signal "use large guns only" to cut down on the volume of smoke.
Terror expended thirty-one 10-inch shells in three firing passes against the fortifications at San Juan, and scored a direct hit on a battery which the monitor's commanding officer, Capt. Nicholl Ludlow, considered "the most vicious." Terror, which had moved close inshore to gain a better firing position, kept up a spirited fire until 08:15, when she broke off action and rejoined Sampson's squadron retiring to the northwest.
The monitor subsequently resumed her cruising operations in the West Indies and off Puerto Rico for the duration of hostilities with Spain, into September 1898. At the conclusion of the war, Terror sailed north for Hampton Roads. Placed in reserve at 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 18 October 1898, the monitor was decommissioned and placed in ordinary on 25 February 1899.
Naval Academy ship
Taken to Annapolis, Md.Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, late in 1901, Terror was recommissioned for service at the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
and subsequently served as a practice ship for midshipmen. She conducted a summer midshipman cruise in 1905. Later taken up to Philadelphia, Pa., Terror was placed in reserve on 11 September 1905 and was decommissioned and laid up at League Island
League Island
League Island was an island in the Delaware River, part of the city of Philadelphia, just upstream from the mouth of the Schuylkill River, which was the site of the Philadelphia shipyard, which eventually became the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, now known as the Philadelphia Naval Business...
on 8 May 1906.
Fate
Struck from the Navy list on 31 December 1915, Terror lay at Indianhead, Md., as a test hulk at the Naval Proving GroundsIndian Head Naval Surface Weapons Center
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division is a United States naval military installation located in Charles County, Maryland....
, before being placed on the sale list in June 1920. Although sold for scrap iron on 10 March 1921, Terror sank off Shooters Island
Shooters Island
Shooters Island is a uninhabited island at the southern end of Newark Bay, along the north shore of Staten Island. The boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey runs through the island, with a small portion on the north end of the island belonging to the cities of Bayonne and...
, N.Y., sometime in the 1920s. Records indicate that the hulk was raised by the Sorenson Wrecking Company in early 1930, while operating under contract with the Navy. This hulk was presumably scrapped soon thereafter.