Columbia Class Cruiser (1892)

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Two Columbia class protected cruisers were completed for the U.S. Navy in 1894.

Overview of 2 vessels
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages
Name Builder Laid Down Launched Completed Fate
Columbia William Cramp & Sons 30 Dec, 1890 26 Jul, 1892 23 Apr, 1894 Sold 26 Jan, 1922
Minneapolis William Cramp & Sons 16 Dec, 1891 12 Aug, 1893 13 Dec, 1894 Sold 15 Mar, 1921

Construction

The Columbias were designed as commerce raiders, specifically for hunting down big Atlantic ocean liners during wartime.[1][2]

Although designed as three-funnel ships, Columbia was built with four and Minneapolis with two.[3]

Performance and Service

Even N.J.M. Campbell, who never missed a chance to criticize American warships, described them as excellent steamers despite their heavy coal consumption. Columbia crossed the Atlantic in 1895 only thirteen hours behind the record-holder Fürst Bismarck.[4]

The Columbias were apparently prestigious commands—in 1902 they were commanding by Captains senior to those commanding the fleet's newest battleships.[5]

Armament

[6]

  • one 8-inch/40 caliber
  • two 6-inch/40 caliber
  • eight 4-inch/40 caliber
  • twelve 6-pounders
  • four 1-pounders
  • four Gatling guns
  • four above water torpedo tubes: 14-inch in Columbia, 18-inch in Minneapolis[7]

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Friedman. U.S. Cruisers. p. 39.
  2. Bauer and Roberts. Register of Ships. p. 145.
  3. Friedman. U.S. Cruisers. p. 40.
  4. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 154.
  5. List and Station, July 1902. p. 5.
  6. Friedman. U.S. Cruisers. p. 463.
  7. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 154.

Bibliography

  • Bauer, K. Jack and Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. New York: Greenwood Press.
  • Chesneau, Robert; Kolesnik, Eugene (editors) (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (2006). The U.S. Navy Warship Series: The New Navy 1883-1922. New York: Routledge.


Columbia Class Protected Cruiser
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