USS Chicago (1885) facts for kids
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USS Chicago in 1891
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name |
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| Namesake |
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| Ordered | 3 March 1883 |
| Awarded | 26 July 1883 |
| Builder | Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Cost | $889,000 (contract price of hull and machinery) |
| Laid down | 29 December 1883 |
| Launched | 5 December 1885 |
| Sponsored by | Edith Cleborne |
| Commissioned | 17 April 1889 |
| Decommissioned | 30 September 1923 |
| Renamed | Alton 16 July 1928 and reclassified IX-5 |
| Reclassified |
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| Identification |
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| Fate |
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| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement | 4,500 long tons (4,600 t) |
| Length |
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| Beam | 48 ft 3 in (14.71 m) |
| Draft | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Installed power | 14 × 100 psi (690 kPa) coal-fired boilers |
| Propulsion |
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| Sail plan | Schooner |
| Speed | 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Capacity | 830 short tons (750 t) of coal |
| Complement | 45 officers and 356 enlisted men |
| Armament |
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| Armor |
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| General characteristics (1895 & 1902 rebuild) | |
| Displacement | 5,000 long tons (5,100 t) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) (Speed on Trial) |
| Armament |
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The first USS Chicago was a special kind of warship called a protected cruiser. It was one of the very first four steel ships built for the "New Navy" of the United States Navy. This ship was named after the city of Chicago, Illinois.
The Chicago was launched on December 5, 1885. It was built by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works in Chester, Pennsylvania. The ship officially joined the Navy on April 17, 1889.
Contents
Building the Chicago
The Chicago was part of a group of four new ships called the "ABCD" ships. These included the cruisers Atlanta and Boston, and the fast messenger ship Dolphin. They were important because they were the first ships for the U.S. Navy made with steel hulls.
All these ships were ordered from the same shipyard. However, there was a problem with the Dolphin ship, and the shipyard ran into financial trouble. This caused a delay of about three years for the Chicago's completion. Like the other "ABCD" ships, Chicago was also built with sails. This helped it travel longer distances without needing to refuel.
The Chicago weighed about 4,500 tons. It was about 342 feet long and 48 feet wide. The ship used 14 boilers to power two large steam engines. These engines gave it a speed of about 14 knots (about 16 miles per hour). It could carry 830 tons of coal for its engines.
When it was first built, the Chicago had many different guns. It had four large 8-inch guns, eight 6-inch guns, and two 5-inch guns. It also had several smaller guns, including 6-pounder, 3-pounder, and 1-pounder guns. For protection, the ship had 4 inches of armor on its gun shields, 1.5 inches on its deck, and 3 inches on its conning tower (the ship's control center).
Upgrades and Changes
Between 1895 and 1899, the Chicago was updated at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Its main guns were replaced with newer, more powerful ones. All its smaller 6-inch and 5-inch guns were also replaced with 14 new 5-inch guns.
During this upgrade, the ship's sails were removed. Its old boilers were replaced with six new Babcock & Wilcox boilers and four other boilers. The engines were also replaced with two new, more powerful ones. These changes made the ship faster, reaching speeds of about 18 knots (about 21 miles per hour). In 1902, the ship was partly rebuilt again, making its armored deck larger and increasing its weight to 5,000 tons.
Later, as a training ship in 1915, its guns were changed again. In 1918, when it became a flagship (a ship carrying a commander), it received four 5-inch guns. By 1920, when it was serving as a submarine tender (a support ship for submarines) in Pearl Harbor, all its guns were removed.
Ship's Journey and Service
Before World War I
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On December 7, 1889, the Chicago left Boston for Lisbon, Portugal. It served in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea as the flagship (the lead ship) of a group called the Squadron of Evolution. It then visited ports in Brazil and the West Indies before returning to New York in July 1890.
The Chicago continued to operate along the coasts of North and South America and in the Caribbean. It was the flagship for different Navy groups until 1893. In June 1893, it sailed to Europe and the Mediterranean again as a flagship. During this time, a famous naval expert named Alfred Thayer Mahan commanded the ship. The Chicago returned to New York in March 1895 and was taken out of service for a while.
The ship was put back into service on December 1, 1898. It sailed in the Caribbean and then returned to New York to take part in a naval parade. From November 1899, the Chicago went on a long journey. It was the flagship for the South Atlantic Station and then the European Station. It cruised in northern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean until August 1903.
From December 1903 to August 1904, the Chicago was repaired in Boston. After working along the northeast coast, it sailed to Valparaíso, Chile, arriving in December. There, it became the flagship of the Pacific Squadron. For three years, it operated off the west coasts of North and South America and in Hawaii.
In 1906, the Chicago played a very important role during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. When the earthquake hit, the city's communication lines were down. The Chicago's radio allowed city leaders to talk to the outside world. A team from the ship also helped organize the evacuation of 20,000 people by boat. This rescue effort was huge and was not matched until the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.
In January 1908, the Chicago left San Diego for the east coast. It then joined the Naval Academy Practice Squadron for summer training cruises. It was put into reserve (meaning it was not actively used) in August. The Chicago was used again for practice cruises in the summers of 1909. From 1910 to 1917, it served with the naval militias of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
World War I and Later Years
On April 6, 1917, the Chicago was fully put back into service at Philadelphia. It became the flagship for the Submarine Force, Atlantic, at New London, Connecticut. In July 1919, it moved to the Pacific.
The ship was reclassified (given new identification numbers) several times. In 1920, it became CA-14, and in 1921, CL-14. From December 1919 to September 1923, it served as a support ship for submarines at Pearl Harbor.
The Chicago was taken out of service for good on September 30, 1923. It then served as a receiving ship (a ship where new sailors live and get ready for duty) at Pearl Harbor until 1935. On July 16, 1928, its name was changed to Alton. This was done so the name Chicago could be used for a new, larger warship. It was also reclassified as an "unclassified miscellaneous unit" (IX-5).
The Alton was sold on May 15, 1936. However, while being towed from Honolulu to San Francisco, it sank in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on July 8, 1936.
Gallery
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Officers of USS Chicago, photographed on her deck ca. 1903.
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Chicago as barracks ship USS Alton (IX-5) at Pearl Harbor, 1926.
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