The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-09
PETREL COMES TO Be-
THE STATION SHIP
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do had been in a measure cut out for
| it. The guuboat Petrol, commanded by
utenant-Commandar Woods, sailed
away across the Pacific, at all events,
Z stopping at Hilo, which was thing
almost without precedent. Woods, how
ever, wanted to see the volcano and
went to the Volcano House with a par
ty of officers from his ship and couple
of visitors in HiIo, and spent one night
viewing the crater of K1auea- The
party returned to HiIo the next day
and the Petrol sailed away for the
coast of China.
She Joined Dewey's fleet at Hongkong
and sailed with that great officer when
he left Mrs bay to capture and de-
stroy the Spanish power" She was in
his line when he entered the Boca
Grande, passing the forts on Corregi-
dor and Caballos islands in the dark
ness of night, and she gave a splendid
account of herself in the action which
saw the utter destruction of Admiral
Montojo's fleet, that fleet whose strength
lad led the Spanish admiral to invite
his friends to dinner on board the
Olympia, which he expected to fall an
easy prey to his guns.
But" said Montojo, by way of ex-
planning his defeat, 1.-The Americans do
not make war like gentlemen. They
attack before my men are ready, and
give us no time to eat breakfast"
After bearing her share of the prin-
cipal combat in which Dewey's fleet
was engaged, it was the Petrol that
steamed close in to the fortress of
Cavite and put the finishing touches
to the victory by Smelling and sinking
the Spanish gunboats, Isla de Cuba
and Isla de LuZon, at close range. 1t
was the crew of the Petrol. too, that
ran UP the American flag on Cavite,
landing to stop the footing of the town
that had been begun by the Filipinos
as soon as it was apparent that the
Spaniards were beaten, and the Span
ish garrison could hold the place no
longer.
The commander of the Petrol was the
first naval commandant of the Navy
Yard at Cavite, where large shops well
equipped for making all kinds of naval
repairs, were found. He died there
just after he had been ordered home,
his relief coming too late to save him.
Captain Wood, for he had earned his
grade by his participation in the bat
tie, was one of the first Americans to
fall victim to the climate of the Philip
pines. He had done his service be-
fore the Americans had time to give
the islands the thorough sanitary
cleanup to which they have since
been subjected.
OF the officers who served on the
Petrol In the days of her greatest glory
there is not one on the roster now. Her
present staff, nevertheless, would
doubtless do their duty as gloriously
if the chance came to them. For that
is the manner of the American naval
man. The Petrol. with her full COM
plement carries 126 men. and has the
following staff of officers:
Lieut. Commander, Francis H. Sher-
man. U. S. N, commanding.
Lieut.. C. c. Fewel, Z. S. N, exec
utive officer.
Lieut.. c. F. snow. U. S. N, engineer
officer
Lieut.. w. P. cronan. U. S. N. nav
igating officer.
P. A. Surgeon, Charles H. De Lancy,
U. S. N, medical officer.
Asst-Paymaster James F. Kutz, y.
S. N, pay officer
Ensign George p. Brown, U. S. N.
Midshipman j. S. Abbott, L. S. N,
watch and divisional officers.
The Petrol is an unprotected steel
gunboat of S92 tons displacement and
was first put into commission in 1889
She is 176 feet three inches long and
81 feet beam with draft of II feet
seven inches and her gross tonnage is
SOS. so. She has single screw and a
horizontal compound engine of 1895
horse power which drives her at a
speed of n.79 knots per hour. Her
normal fuel supply is 100 tons and her
full bunker capacity PIP tons. The
main battery consists of 4 six-inch
breech loading rifles The secondary
battery comprises 2 three-pounder
rapid fire guns, L one-pounder rapid
fire gun. 2 one-pounder M rapid fire
guns and automatic Colts. Her
watertight steel deck is 3-S in. thick on
the slopes and sis in on the fiat The
contract price of the vessel was $247.- |
600 and her complement consists of
eight officers and 126 men,