USS Barry (DD-2), a Bainbridge-class

Bainbridge class destroyer

Officially designated as Torpedo Boat Destroyers when authorized by Congress in 1898, the Bainbridge-class destroyers were the first destroyers of the United States Navy, built from 1899 through 1903....

 destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

, was the first ship of 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...

 to be named for Commodore

Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...

 John Barry (1745–1803).

Construction

Barry was launched on 22 March 1902 by Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company

Neafie & Levy

Neafie, Levy & Co., commonly known as Neafie & Levy, was a Philadelphia shipbuilding and engineering firm that existed from the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century...

, 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,...

; sponsored by Miss Charlotte Adams Barnes the great-grandniece of Commodore Barry: and commissioned on 24 November 1902, 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...

 Noble Edward Irwin in command.

Pre-World War I

Barry was assigned to the 1st Torpedo Flotilla, Coast Squadron

Coast Squadron

The Coast Squadron was a unit in the United States Navy in the early 20th century.It was organized under the North Atlantic Fleet....

, North Atlantic Fleet

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...

, and during the summer of 1903 participated in maneuvers off the New England

New 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. In December 1903 she departed the East Coast and sailed via the Suez Canal

Suez Canal

The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...

 to the Asiatic Station, arriving in April 1904.

On the Asiatic Station she served with the 1st Torpedo Flotilla, Battleship Squadron, until August 1917, except for two short periods (2 April-21 December 1908 and on 21 October 1912-24 June 1913) out of commission.

World War I

Barry departed the Philippine Islands on 1 August 1917 and sailed via the Suez Canal for Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

 arriving 20 October. She escorted merchantmen in the Mediterranean until August 1918 and arrived at Charleston

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 on 5 September. She remained there until the end of the year performing patrol and convoy duties. In January 1919, she left for the Philadelphia Navy Yard where she was decommissioned on 28 June and sold on 3 January 1920 to Joseph G. Hitner, Philadelphia, PA.