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USS Detroit (C-10)
Encyclopedia
The USS Detroit (C-10) was a protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
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...
which was launched 28 October 1891 by Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland, sponsored by Miss F. Malster and commissioned 20 July 1893 with Commander Willard Herbert Brownson in command. It was the third ship to be named for Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
Detroit sailed from Norfolk 5 October 1893 for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and lay at anchor in the harbor to protect American citizens and interests during revolutionary disturbances in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. During which she engaged
Rio de Janeiro Affair
The Rio de Janeiro Affair refers to a series of incidents during the Brazilian Naval Revolt in January 1894. Following three attacks on American merchant ships in the harbour of Rio de Janeiro, a bloodless naval engagement occurred between a United States Navy warship and an ironclad of Rear...
the rebel cruiser Trajano in a short and bloodless action. After, the Detroit returned to 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....
24 April 1894. She sailed 16 October to serve on the Asiatic Station for 2 years, cruising along the Chinese coast, and visiting ports in Japan and Korea. Detroit returned to New York City
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...
17 May 1897, and after overhaul, sailed for Key West where she was based from 16 October 1897, in view of the increasingly tense situation in the Caribbean. During the Spanish American War the Detroit and other US Warships shelled El Morro during a daylong bombardment of San Juan on May 12, 1898.
Detroit returned to 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...
in February 1899. She protected American interests in 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...
, and then in September during the revolutionary movements in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. She remained at anchor at La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
during October and November, then returned to her base at Key West 21 December 1899. Except for two short cruises in 1900 into the Caribbean, she remained at Key West until May when she sailed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, 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...
and was placed out of commission 23 May 1900.
Recommissioned 23 September 1902 Detroit sailed for the Caribbean in November for squadron maneuvers at Culebra and San Juan. She joined Fortune at Port of Spain, Trinidad, in January 1903, and towed her around the coast of 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...
to Talcahuana, Chile. Detroit operated between Montevideo, Uruguay, and Bahia and Santos, Brazil, until January 1904 when she arrived at Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, to protect American interests in the revolution-torn island. Her diplomatic offices resulted in a peace conference in June, followed by a capitulation by the insurgent army at Monte Cristi.
Except for a brief cruise to Boston and on to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
in the summer of 1904, Detroit remained off troubled Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
. She returned to Boston in July 1905, was placed out of commission 1 August 1905, and sold 22 December 1910.