Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-08
OBSOLETE BATTLESHIPS
WROTE MANY PAGES IN
u. S. NAVAL HISTORY
TlDelDe of Them, Ordered to Be Broken Up and Sold For
Junk, Played Prominent Parts in American
achievements

Washington. July s. Decision of
the Navy Department to break up and
sell for junk or use for targets twelve
obsolete battleships marks the pass
ing of a fleet of vessels long identi-
fed with many of the most glorious
achievements of the new American
navy. They wrote many bright pages
into this. country's naval history dur
ing their years of service and four
of them have participated actively
in two wars. The doomed ships. in
Guiding the famous old Spanish
American war squadron consisting of
the oregon, Iowa. Indiana and Mass
achusetts and the more modern but
hardly less famous Kentucky, kear-
sarge, Alabama. Illinois. Wisconsin.
Ohio, Missouri and Maine, composed
one of the most. if not the most.
powerful battleship fleet in the world
more thar fifteen years ago.
Foremost among the achievements
of these famous old lighting craft is
the part they played in the Spanish
American war. The Oregon. which
had been commissioned at San Fran
cisco in July, 1896. was at Mare Is
land navy yard in 1898 when the mes
sage was flashed to her commander
that the United States was at war
with Spain. On March 6, 1898, the
famous old ship cleared the Golden
Gate, bound for the West Indies, on
what proved to be the most epoch
making battleship voyage ever under
taken. With decks stripped for action
and gun crews at their stations the
Oregon plowed round Cape Horn, up
the east coast of South America and
arrived at Key West on May 26, ready
for action. having made the $4,000
mile voyage in 6S cruising days. Cap
tain c. e. Clark. the Oregon's com
handing officer. vas ordered to take
his ship to Santiago n there join
the blockading squadron which was
awaiting battle with the Spanish
fleet.
Making Their Fame
In the meantime the Iowa. Mass
achusetts and Indiana, sister ships
of the Oregon, We're attached to the
north Atlantic feet and had already
arrived off Cuba. the Massachusetts
being part of the famous flying
squadron under command of Com
modore Schley.
The oregon, already famous
throughout the world for her glor-
ious and successful voyage to join
the American fleet in time for the i'm
pending battle, gained greater glory
in the action off Santiago de Cuba
on Sunday, July 8. 1898 when Spanish
sea power was forever humbled and
the liberation of the Philippines and
Cuba assured. In that now historic
sea fight the Oregon ran the Vizcaya,
pride of the Spanish fleet ashore after
Kidding the craft with hits from her
eight and thirteen-inch guns n then
engaged in a running fight with the
Colon which surrendered after having
been cut off from the open sea by the
Oregon and forced to head for the
beach. A shot at the Colon from one
of the Oregon's t~hirteen-inch guns
was the last shot fired during the
battle.
Both the Indiana and the Iowa par
~ticipated in the battle at Santiago, the
Massachusetts,. having gone to Guam
tanamo to GOA on the day of the
engagement. The crew of the Mass
achusetts, much disappointed at hav-
ing missed the fight, gained revenge
the next night when that vessel and
the old battleship. Texas. engaged
and sunk the Spanish cruiser Reins