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USS Marietta (PG-15)
Encyclopedia
USS Marietta was a schooner-rigged gunboat
. She was laid down by Union Iron Works
, San Francisco, California
on 13 April 1896 and launched on 18 March 1897, sponsored by Mrs. C. L. More, daughter of Brigadier General T. C. H. Smith and commissioned on September 1897, with Commander
F. W. Symonds in command.
ing of the battleship
which was steaming to join the North Atlantic Squadron
off Cuba
. Moving on to Valparaíso, Chile on 31 March, the gunboat was joined by Oregon on 6 April, and together the two warships proceeded through the Straits of Magellan and up the east coast of South America, separating at Bahia, Brazil on 11 May. She arrived at Key West, Florida
on 4 June, then joined the blockade of Havana Harbor.
On 2 September, Marietta arrived at Boston
for repairs and then sailed on 10 October for her second tour of duty off Cuba. For the next five months, she patrolled the Caribbean, showed the flag in Latin American ports, and helped clear mine
s from Cuban waters.
for the Philippines
. Steaming via the Suez Canal
, she arrived Manila
on 3 January 1900. Operating in support of American forces ending the Philippine insurrection, the gunboat acted as a patrol and convoy escort vessel in the Islands, assisting and cooperating with the Army
In military expeditions and landings until ordered home on 3 June 1901. Again sailing via Suez, she arrived Boston on 17 September and then proceeded immediately to Portsmouth, New Hampshire
reporting to the North Atlantic Squadron.
On 21 November, Marietta cleared Portsmouth, sailing via New York for another tour of duty in the Caribbean. Arriving Colón, Colombia
on the 23rd, she spent the next year and five months cruising on this station, protecting American interests in Colombia, Haiti
, Jamaica
, Venezuela
, Trinidad
, Curaçao
, and Honduras
, in addition to carrying mail for American legation officials. She completed her duty 10 April 1903, and sailed for home, returning to Boston 16 days later. Marietta decommissioned at Boston on 6 May.
on 9 March. She operated off Central America, protecting American interests in Panama during that nations revolution against Colombia. On 24 June, the ship arrived at Gibraltar
, and reported for duty with the European Squadron
. She remained in foreign waters, alternating duty with this and the South Atlantic Squadron until 4 December, when she sailed for League Island, Pennsylvania, arriving on 31 December, and decommissioning on 21 January 1905.
On 4 November 1911, Marietta reported to Portsmouth, N.H., to go into reserve. On 27 May 1912, she was turned over to the New Jersey Naval Militia and two days later was placed in full commission at New York Navy Yard. For the next two years, she operated in the Caribbean and western Atlantic, enforcing American neutrality. In February 1916, she joined American forces off Vera Cruz
to assist in operations against Mexican insurgents.
patrol force for convoy duty. Continuing her escort service, she was assigned to the European patrol force in 1918 and operated on this assignment until she decommissioned on 12 July 1919 at New Orleans, Louisiana
. Marietta was sold on 25 March 1920.
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:...
. She was laid down by 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:...
, 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 13 April 1896 and launched on 18 March 1897, sponsored by Mrs. C. L. More, daughter of Brigadier General T. C. H. Smith and commissioned on September 1897, with Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
F. W. Symonds in command.
Spanish-American War
Following brief duty on the Pacific station, Marietta departed San Francisco on 19 March 1898 for Callao, Peru to arrange for the coalCoal
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...
ing of the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
which was steaming to join 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...
off 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...
. Moving on to Valparaíso, Chile on 31 March, the gunboat was joined by Oregon on 6 April, and together the two warships proceeded through the Straits of Magellan and up the east coast of South America, separating at Bahia, Brazil on 11 May. She arrived at Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
on 4 June, then joined the blockade of Havana Harbor.
On 2 September, Marietta arrived at Boston
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
for repairs and then sailed on 10 October for her second tour of duty off Cuba. For the next five months, she patrolled the Caribbean, showed the flag in Latin American ports, and helped clear mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s from Cuban waters.
Philippine–American War
On 17 October, Marietta sailed from VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
for 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...
. Steaming 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...
, she arrived Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
on 3 January 1900. Operating in support of American forces ending the Philippine insurrection, the gunboat acted as a patrol and convoy escort vessel in the Islands, assisting and cooperating with the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
In military expeditions and landings until ordered home on 3 June 1901. Again sailing via Suez, she arrived Boston on 17 September and then proceeded immediately 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...
reporting to the North Atlantic Squadron.
On 21 November, Marietta cleared Portsmouth, sailing via New York for another tour of duty in the Caribbean. Arriving Colón, Colombia
Colón, Panama
Colón is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city....
on the 23rd, she spent the next year and five months cruising on this station, protecting American interests in Colombia, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, 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...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, in addition to carrying mail for American legation officials. She completed her duty 10 April 1903, and sailed for home, returning to Boston 16 days later. Marietta decommissioned at Boston on 6 May.
Panama
Marietta recommissioned on 11 February 1904, and sailed for PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
on 9 March. She operated off Central America, protecting American interests in Panama during that nations revolution against Colombia. On 24 June, the ship arrived at 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...
, and reported for duty with the European Squadron
European Squadron
The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil War...
. She remained in foreign waters, alternating duty with this and the South Atlantic Squadron until 4 December, when she sailed for League Island, Pennsylvania, arriving on 31 December, and decommissioning on 21 January 1905.
Caribbean
Marietta recommissioned on 14 May 1906 and departed League Island on the 26th for the West Indies. For the next 5½ years, she served in the islands of the Caribbean, calling at numerous Latin American ports and protecting American lives and property from damage.On 4 November 1911, Marietta reported to Portsmouth, N.H., to go into reserve. On 27 May 1912, she was turned over to the New Jersey Naval Militia and two days later was placed in full commission at New York Navy Yard. For the next two years, she operated in the Caribbean and western Atlantic, enforcing American neutrality. In February 1916, she joined American forces off Vera Cruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
to assist in operations against Mexican insurgents.
World War I
Marietta to the U.S. shortly before the start of World War I, and soon after joined the Atlantic FleetUnited States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
patrol force for convoy duty. Continuing her escort service, she was assigned to the European patrol force in 1918 and operated on this assignment until she decommissioned on 12 July 1919 at New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
. Marietta was sold on 25 March 1920.
External links
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center
- Photo gallery at navsource.org