Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-06
She is to Be Fitted Up for the Mary
land Naval Militia.
The RECEIVING SHIP HERE FOR YEARS
A Sketch of Her Long and Excel
lent Service.
HAS SAILED IN EVERY SEA

Washington is to lose its own familiar
warship after all. 1t is true shc is old and
obsolete, and compares i'll with our modern
steel fighting machines, but she was a
good ship in her day, and has carried the
American flag with honor and credit In all
quarters of the globe. Reference Is made
to the Dale. which has been anchored at
the Washington navy yard. She was for
merly a sloop-of-war of the third class,
as naval vessels are rated, but since her
arrival at this yard she has served the
peaceful but highly useless purpose of a
receiving ship. All her officers have been
detached, and she is to be put out of COM
mission with a view to her immediate
transfer to the Maryland naval militia.
This is a change in the original program.
which contemplated the use of the old
mentor Wyandotte for this purpose. The
Dale is much the better vessel for the pur
pose, and the Maryland reserves are to be
congratulated on her possession. Orders
have been given to fit the vessel out at
once for her new duty, and 1T is probable
ture home in the harbor' Of Baltimore next
week.
Launched In 1880.
The Dale Is one of the smallest sailing
ships of the old navy. She was built by
thc 1T fIlliduelpnld III lS.0J
and was launched in the fall OF that year
She is III feet long and 23 feet beam, and
has a maximum draft of 10 1-2 feet. Her
displacement is officially stated at 566 TONS
and her speed at ten knots per hour on
wind and thirteen knots free In her palmy
days she was noted as fair sailer under
all conditions" Her hull is OF live oak and
Is reported to be still in excellent condi-
ton, so much so that 1t takes the finest
OF steel-edged tools to make the slightest
impression in her tough hide. This fact
was demonstrated a short time ago, when
1t became necessary for some ordinary pur-
pose to bore a small hole through her side.
When She was in active service years ago
she carried a battery of sixteen 32-pound
ers, and would undoubtedly have rendered
a good account of herself in case of neces-
sity. At the present day her armament
consists of a single howitZer. Her original
cost complete was $lO1, ,722, and she was re-
paired In 1880 at an expense of 500, 52T.
Ships and repairs were not so expensive
as they are at present.
Named for Revolutionary Hero.
She was named in honor of Commodore
Richard Dale, one OF the naval heroes of
Paul Jones as first lieutenant of the Bon
Homme Richard in her celebrated engage
ment with the British ships Scraps and
the Countess of Scarborough off Flam-
bough Head in September. 1779 Lieut.
Dale contributed materially to that great
victory by his prompt action at critical
points, and was badly wounded in the leg
after he had boarded the Serapis, just he
fore she surrendered. His namesake has a
gooC record unmarked, however, with any
important service as a fighter. She has
seen service in every sea, and in her earlier
career was with Shubrick's squadron in
the Pacific ocean, and with Lavalette's
squadron in African waters. During the
war of the rebellion she was used as the
station flagship at Key West, and after
the war she made several cruises as a
practice ship for mldshipmen. She remain
ed on duty at Annapolis until 1884, when
she was transferred to the WASHINGTON
navy yard, where she was dismantled and
covered In, which means that house-like
structure was built upon her main deck
Thus for the past ten years she has served
the peaceful purpose of home and school
OF instruction for seamen gunners.
Will BE without n Receiving Ship.
This city will now be without receiving
ship, and the seamen gunners who have
heretofore been Quartered on the Dale will
be provided with accommodations in bar
racks recently erected in the yard. The
Dale has been a prominent landmark, or,
rather, watermark, at the navy yard for
years, and her departure will be regretted
on that account by the residents of the
vicinity, who had begun to look upon her
as permanent possession.