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USS Kearsarge (BB-5)

1900

History of USS Kearsarge (BB-5)

The USS Kearsarge (BB-5) was an early modern United States Navy (USN) steel battleship, two classes ahead, with a displacement of 11,525 tons, used in coastal defense engagements. The ship is named after Kearsarge, New Hampshire, after the original warship USS Kearsarge commissioned in 1861.

Civil War (1861-1865). The Alabama was eventually tracked, engaged, and sunk off the coast of France in June 1864. The new Kearsarge was ordered on 2 March 1895 and built by Newport News on 30 June 1896. She was launched on March 24, 1898, and commissioned on February 20, 1900.

When completed, the Kearsarge was fitted with 5 x Scotch boilers powering 2 x 3 cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines driving 2 x shafts rated at 11,674 hp. Under ideal conditions, the boat can reach speeds of nearly 17 knots. Structurally, she has a sleek, sturdy design with a very low main deck. The twin turrets were arranged in the bow and stern, while the midship superstructure took up most of the space.

The superstructure is flanked by guns, while a bridge rises high in the front of the superstructure, with two crucifix-like masts towering high above the hull. The side profile is dominated by a pair of high-altitude chimneys, exhausting the twin-engine layout. The ship carries several boats available to the crew - each with specific operational needs.

As a battleship, the Kearsarge had armor ranging from 5" to 16.5", 12.5" to 15" in turrets, 15" to 17" main turrets, and 6" to 11" secondary turrets, well protected and 10" the command tower.

Her armament is centered on a 4 x 13 in (330 mm) main gun mounted on a front and rear cylindrical turret with two guns on a base. These turrets are topped by smaller turrets, each armed with 4 x 8 in (203 mm) guns, with two guns on each turret.

Additional weapons include 14 x 5 inch (127 mm) guns and up to 20 x 6 lb guns. There are also 8 x 1-pounder guns and up to 4 x .30 caliber machine guns for close range work. Threats from enemy surfaces are also offset by 4 x 18" (467 mm) torpedo tubes.

Kearsarge began her career in May 1901, spending her early years in Atlantic waters, serving mainly on the East Coast of the United States and the Caribbean. In June 1903 the Kearsarge sailed to several friendly stops in European waters as the flagship of the European Squadron, the ship received Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany in June and Prince of Wales in July before returning to the United States. In December, Kearsarge was dispatched to Cuba, and the United States officially took over the Guantanamo Naval Reserve.

In 1904 she traveled again to Europe for more goodwill stops before returning home in August. Tragedy struck Kearsarge on April 13, 1906, when ten people were killed by a tower fire during shooting practice, forcing the U.S. Navy to revisit gunpowder handling.

In December 1907, Kearsarge joined the rest of the U.S. Navy on a global voyage called the "Great White Fleet"a show of American prowess on the high seas in this industrial age. Commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt, the voyage lasted from December 1907 to February 1909. The fleet sailed along the coast of South America, bypassing the coasts of Argentina and Chile, before arriving in California in 1908 for an overhaul.

The team then sailed through Hawaiian waters, circumnavigating southern and western Australia before crossing the Indian Ocean. The fleet headed north through the Suez Canal, surfaced in Mediterranean waters, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to discover the Atlantic Ocean, and returned to Hampton Roads, Virginia.

It was deemed appropriate to modernize the fleet, and Kearsarge undertook a program that included the installation of brand new water tube boilers, additional 5-inch guns, new "cage" masts, and the removal of the 1-pounder and 16 6-Pfunders Offered to upcoming work, it was officially decommissioned on September 4, 1909.

Upon completion, the Kearsarge was returned to active duty and returned to service on June 23, 1915. When World War I broke out in Europe (1914-1918), she again patrolled the Atlantic coast. In September, Kearsarge transported the Marines to Veracruz, Mexico, and then to New Orleans, Louisiana.

She became part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on February 4, 1916, and served as a training platform while the United States remained neutral. On April 6, 1917, the United States officially joined its allies in France in World War I, and millions of Americans fought.

Kearsarge's notable actions in the conflict helped survivors of the Norwegian sailing ship Nordhav on August 18, 1918, after the ship was torpedoed and sank by the German submarine U-117. The armistice was signed in November 1918, officially ending the war.

Despite the end of the war and reduced defense spending, Kearsarge managed to continue her career. She served as a training platform and sailed in the Caribbean until 1919. She was then recalled to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and decommissioned in late May 1920 to overhaul her superstructure and support a 250-ton capacity heavy crane arrangement. All their weapons and heavy armor were removed. It appeared under the hull classification "IX-16", which then evolved into "AB-1" in August 1920.

She served in this second-line role for decades before World War II (1939-1945). At this time, AB-1 was designated "Crane Ship No. 1", clearing her name "Kearsarge" for the new Essex-class aircraft carrier. However, the new carrier itself was renamed USS Hornet (CV-12) in honor of the USS Hornet (CV-8) killed in the Battle of Santa Cruz.

The "CV-33" subsequently adopted the Kearsarge name and entered service in the second half of World War II, and was decommissioned and scrapped twice in 1974.

Crane 1 served the US Navy well during the construction of other needed warships during WWII, where her lifting capacity was put to good use. She was later transferred to the west coast of the San Francisco Naval Shipyard in 1945 and completed her war service by participating in the construction of several notable warships, including aircraft carriers. In 1948, she found her way back to the East Coast at the Boston Naval Shipyard, where she awaited her twilight years.

On June 22, 1955, her name was removed from the Naval Register, and on August 9, the hull was abandoned for scrap yard. Kearsarge has a 55-year career spanning 30 years as a crane platform. Her tenure spanned two world wars and the Korean War (1953-1955).