USS Washington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ten ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Washington, originally in honor of George Washington, and later (starting with the 1905 armored cruiser) for the 42nd state.

• The first Washington was a schooner named Endeavor acquired by General George Washington in October 1775, renamed Washington, and re-rigged as a brigantine. She was captured in December. Taken to Boston, Washington, upon inspection by the Royal Navy, was deemed unsuitable for operations on the high seas; she eventually rotted away at Boston.

• The second Washington was a row galley that operated in Narragansett Bay during the winter and spring of 1776. In July, the galleys were sent to New York, but after the British captured Manhattan late in the summer, Washington and her sister galleys vanished in the mists of unrecorded history.

• The third Washington, 32 was one of 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress. She was launched in August 1776, however, the British occupied Philadelphia in 1777 forcing the local Continental forces to strip and sink Washington to prevent her falling into enemy hands intact. Her remains were later salvaged and sold at Philadelphia.

• The fourth Washington, a lateen-rigged two-masted galley, was built in the autumn of 1776, and served in Brigadier General Benedict Arnold's fleet at the Battle of Valcour Island. Heavily damaged, Washington was captured and eventually taken into British service, apparently retaining her name. Her subsequent fate, however, is unrecorded.

• The fifth Washington, 74, a ship of the line, was the second such to be launched by the Navy, and was on active service from 1815 to 1820.

• The sixth Washington was a revenue cutter that initially operated out of Mobile, Alabama, before shifting to Key West, Florida. Washington eventually returned to Mobile, where she was sold in June 1837.

• The seventh Washington, a revenue cutter.

• The eighth Washington (ACR-11) was a Tennessee-class armored cruiser, launched in 1905. In 1916, Washington was renamed Seattle (ACR-11). She was reclassified a heavy cruiser, CA-11, in 1920. In 1941, Seattle was reclassified as IX-39. She was struck from the Navy list in 1946.

• The ninth Washington (BB-47) was a Colorado-class battleship. She was launched in 1921. However, in 1922, after the signing of the Washington Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armaments, all construction work ceased on the dreadnought. She was sunk as a gunnery target in 1924.

• The tenth Washington (BB-56) was a North Carolina-class battleship, launched in 1940. During World War II she served in both the Atlantic and Pacific, including the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942. She was decommissioned in 1947, and struck in 1960.

See also USS George Washington.