USS Niagara (1898)

The third USS Niagara was a distilling and supply ship that served in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War.

History
United States
Name: USS Niagara
Namesake: Fort Niagara
Builder: John Roach & Sons, Chester, Pennsylvania
Completed: 1877
Acquired: 11 April 1898
Commissioned: 11 April 1898
Decommissioned: 14 October 1898
Fate: Sold 19 July 1899
General characteristics
Type: Distilling and supply ship
Displacement: 5,221 tons
Length: 274 ft 0 in (83.52 m)
Beam: 38 ft 0 in (11.58 m)
Draft: 19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Speed: 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement: 57
Armament:
  • 2 × 6-pounder guns
  • 4 × 3-pounder guns
  • 2 × 37 mm guns
  • 1 × Colt machine gun

Acquisition

Niagara was a steamer built by John Roach & Sons, Chester, Pennsylvania in 1877. The U.S. Navy acquired her from the Ward Line on 11 April 1898 for service in the Spanish–American War. Fitted out as a distilling and supply ship of the Collier Service, she commissioned at New York, New York, on 11 April 1898, Commander G. A. Bicknell in command.

Operational history

Niagara departed New York on 25 April 1898 for the Caribbean Sea via Norfolk, Virginia, and Key West, Florida. During the Spanish–American War she served the fleet off Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. The ship returned to Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 26 May 1898.

She departed Hampton Roads on 30 May 1898, again bound for ports in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Niagara remained on station in the Caribbean Sea until 24 July 1898 when she departed Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for New York, arriving 3 September 1898.

Final Disposition

Niagara remained at New York until she decommissioned on 14 October 1898. She was sold on 19 July 1899.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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