USS Wilmington ( PG - 8 ) USS Wilmington ( Gunboat No . 8 ) was laid down on 8 October 1894 at Newport News , Virginia , by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company ; launched on 19 October 1895 ; sponsored by Mrs . Anne B . Gray ; and commissioned on 13 May 1897 with Commander Chapman C . Todd in command . History . The new gunboat conducted sea trials and underwent training off the east coast and joined the North Atlantic Squadron at Key West . " Wilmington " trained and underwent exercises in gunnery and tactics in late 1897 and early 1898 as tension between the United States and Spain was rising steadily closer to open hostilities . Spanish - American War . On 21 April 1898 , two months after the sinking of battleship " Maine " in Havana harbor , Cuba , the United States declared war on Spain . Meanwhile , the Navy had moved its warships into position to attack Spanish possessions in the Far East and in the Caribbean . In May she participated in the Second Battle of Cardenas and was defeated but at the Bombardment of Cárdenas the next morning , she sank two Spanish gunboats and two schooners without a fight . On 15 July 1898 , " Wilmington " arrived off Cape Cruz , near Manzanillo , Cuba , and joined Wompatuck on station with the blockading forces . The following day , " Wilmington " overhauled two small charcoal - burning fishing boats off the harbor mouth and questioned their Cuban crews . From the brief interrogation , the Americans learned that a submarine cable connected Santa Cruz and Jucaro . The gunboat then proceeded to the spot mentioned by the fishermen and lowered a grappling hook . Finding the cable , " Wilmington " cut it and made for Cuarto Reales to join Helena ( Gunboat No . 9 ) , Wompatuck , and Hist . On 17 July , " Wilmington " led the three other ships to El Guayabal , north of Manzanillo , Cuba , near Santa Cruz del Sur . Upon their arrival at Guayabal , the warships found " Scorpion " , " Hornet " , and " Osceola " . During the afternoon hours , the four commanding officers met in conference and formulated preliminary plans for an expedition to Manzanillo to destroy the Spanish shipping there . Accordingly , at 0300 on 18 July , the American ships set out from Guayabal and set course for Manzanillo . At 0645 , the group split up according to plan : " Wilmington " and " Helena " made for the north channel ; " Hist " , " Hornet " , and " Wompatuck " for the south ; " Scorpion " and " Osceola " for the central harbor entrance . Fifteen minutes later , the two largest ships entered the harbor with black smoke billowing from their tall funnels and gunners ready at their weapons . Taking particular care not to damage the city beyond the waterfront , the American gunners directed their gunfire solely at the Spanish ships and took a heavy toll of the steamers congregated there . Spanish supply steamer " Purissima Concepcion " caught fire alongside a dock and sank at her moorings ; gunboat " Maria Ponton " blew up when her magazines exploded ; gunboats " Estrella " and " Delgado Perrado " also burned and sank while two transports , " Gloria " and " Jose Garcia " , went down as well . Two small gunboats , " Guantanamo " and " Guardian " were driven ashore and shot to pieces . Beyond the effective range of Spanish shore batteries , the Americans emerged unscathed , leaving columns of smoke to mark the pyres of the enemy ' s supply and patrol vessels . The twenty - minute engagement ended with the attackers withdrawing to sea to resume routine patrol duties with the North Atlantic Squadron for the duration of hostilities . Post Spanish - American War . Late in the summer , the gunboat headed home and was drydocked at Boston from 24 September to 3 October . Following repairs , the ship departed the Massachusetts coast on 20 October , bound , via Charleston , South Carolina , for Norfolk . Arriving at Hampton Roads on 31 October , the ship put into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on the following day for further repairs , overhaul , and preparation for foreign service . With the reestablishment of the South Atlantic Squadron , Wilmington got underway on Christmas Eve and set her course for Puerto Rico . She arrived at San Juan on 30 December 1898 but resumed her voyage south on 2 January 1899 and proceeded via Castries , Saint Lucia , to Port - of - Spain , Trinidad , where she made port on 15 January . Six days later , the gunboat left Trinidad behind and pointed her straight stem toward Venezuela . On the 23d , the ship arrived off Barima Point and stood up the Santa Catalina River , which led to the main branch of the Orinoco . After a brief stop at the town of Las Tablas , Wilmington put into Ciudad Bolívar on the 24th where the mayor , the American consul , and a number of city officials came on board the ship for a visit . Diplomatic affairs occupied the officers , with the commanding officer vsiting the provincial governor and collector of customs . The ship was " full - dressed " with flags and appropriate ceremonial trappings on 28 January when she welcomed the citizens of the city on board . Two days later , the gunboat departed Ciudad Bolívar to return to Port - of - Spain . She was based at Trinidad through February and into March . During this time , she visited Guanta in northern Venezuela ; Georgetown , British Guiana ; and proceeded up the Surinam River to Paramaribo , Dutch Guiana . Departing Paramaribo on 6 March , she commenced the initial leg of her cruise up the Amazon River . Navigable for nearly of its length during the rainy season , the Amazon and its verdant banks presented the ship ' s company with interesting and unusual flora and fauna as she proceeded upriver . Calling at Pará and Manaus , Brazil , en route , the ship arrived at the Peruvian border at Leticia , Peru , on 11 April . Heaving - to , the gunboat dropped anchor off Leticia to secure permission from Peruvian authorities to proceed further up the Amazon . With permission granted , " Wilmington " again got underway and arrived at Iquitos on 13 April . While numerous official calls were exchanged during the visit , the gunboat also acquired a small menagerie : three monkeys and one tiger cat which were presented to the ship by the Peruvians . On 18 April , the gunboat departed Iquitos , headed back down stream , and reached Rio de Janeiro on 28 May , completing a round - trip voyage on the Amazon . On 6 June , Wilmington entered the Brazilian government drydock at Rio de Janeiro for routine bottom cleaning and remained there until 4 July when she got underway and cruised south along the coast visiting Brazilian and Uruguayan ports . She arrived at Montevideo on 16 July and spent one month operating out of that port . On 17 August , the ship departed Montevideo . However , at 1750 the following day , the port propeller shaft failed , resulting in a change of course back to Montevideo . After remaining in the Uruguayan port for the days following her arrival on 22 August , she departed on 3 September , steaming by her starboard engine only , for Buenos Aires . Arriving on 4 September , " Wilmington " broke the Argentine flag at the main and her saluting guns barked out a 21 - gun salute to the Argentine nation as the gunboat entered port . After the usual boarding calls and shore visits by the American officers to the American " charge d ' affairs " and consul , the gunboat entered the drydock at Buenos Aires on 8 September . Unshipping the port propeller shaft and landing the propeller and a section of the shaft on 16 September , the ship left the drydock the following day with the assistance of two tugs and proceeded to basin number 4 at the Brazilian navy yard . Wilmington remained incapacitated at the basin until 18 January 1900 , when she was moved to Ensenada , Argentina . Eleven days later , cruiser " Chicago " passed a towline to the gunboat , and the two ships set out for Montevideo . On 9 February , steamship " Corunda " arrived with new shafts from the Brooklyn Navy Yard . Subsequently , the gunboat returned to Buenos Aires , under tow from cruiser " Montgomery " , and entered drydock on 3 March 1900 , nearly six months after having first been crippled by the damaged propeller shaft . Once the repairs were finally corrected after dockyard overhaul and a trial period , " Wilmington " continued cruising on the South American station through the summer and early fall of 1900 . While the ship was en route to Rio de Janeiro on 10 May 1900 , her inclinometer recorded 45 - degree rolls in each direction while traversing heavy , choppy seas . On 16 October 1900 , the ship departed Pernambuco , Brazil , bound for the Far East . Arriving at Gibraltar on 3 November , the ship pushed on across the Mediterranean and transited the Suez Canal early in December , arriving at Port Said on the 4th . On 21 January 1901 , the gunboat made port at Manila , in the Philippines , to commence her Asiatic service . Departing from Cavite on 10 May , the ship headed for the China coast and called at Hong Kong on the 13th . Still nominally attached to the South Atlantic Fleet , " Wilmington " served in Chinese waters through 1904 on routine cruises showing the stars and stripes along the China coast at ports such as Shantou , Xiamen , Fuzhou , Shanghai , and Hong Kong . On 30 June 1904 , the ship was decommissioned at Cavite . On 2 April 1906 , the ship was recommissioned there , with Comdr . William L . Rodgers in command . For the next two years , the ship served off the China coast , carrying out her routine cruising and " showing the flag . " On 17 December 1908 , the gunboat commenced her river service , on the Yangtze River as far as Hankou , with the Yangtze Patrol . Ordinary activities included the usual calls and port visits to such places as Hong Kong , Canton , and Swatow . She conducted target practice after constructing her own target rafts and laying out a firing area . On one occasion , Chinese fishermen decided that the raft presented a good perch from which to fish . Repeated attempts by the gun - boaters to shoo away the fishermen only ended in frustration . Finally , as the ship steamed slowly toward the area , she fired a few blank rounds purposely " over " , and the squatters promptly abandoned their erstwhile fishing vantage point . After repairs while stationed at Hong Kong from 30 June 1912 to 30 June 1914 , the ship resumed her routine cruises , attached to the Far Eastern Squadron , Asiatic Fleet , and continued such duty for the next five years . World War I . On 7 April 1917 , while at Shanghai , " Wilmington " received a cable informing the ship that Germany and the United States were at war . Events in the Atlantic had resulted in the severing of relations and the commencement of hostilities . In the Far East , the neutral Chinese greeted the news by issuing terms of internment to all belligerent shipping on 5 May . While " Palos " ( River Gunboat No . 1 ) , " Monocacy " ( River Gunboat No . 2 ) , " Quiros " ( Gunboat No . 40 ) , " Samar " ( Gunboat No . 41 ) , and " Villalobos " ( Gunboat No . 42 ) were directed to stay and be interned , Wilmington got underway on the 6th , within the stated 48 - hour limit , and made for the Philippines . Arriving at Manila on 11 May , the gunboat moored alongside " Brooklyn " ( Cruiser No . 3 ) . Proceeding first to Cavite and then to Olongapo City , the ship commenced patrol duties in the Philippine Islands , off Corregidor Island ' s north channel . Operating from Mariveles Bay , the gunboat cruised on patrol duty in the Manila Bay area through the fall of 1917 , with occasional overhauls at Cavite . She helped to protect the Philippines for the duration of hostilities , intercepting and escorting various vessels entering Philippine waters while carrying out regular drills and exercises . She remained in the archipelago into February 1919 , when she again steamed to Shanghai , China . The gunboat remained at Shanghai as station ship from 11 February to 24 June , when she got underway for Hankou . Five days later , the ship dropped anchor off the American consulate at that port . On 11 July , after weeks of official calls and routine business , " Wilmington " was fouled by a raft of logs ; and two Chinese raftsmen fell overboard into the muddy river . The gunboat rescued the two men while other members of the crew proceeded to cut away the log raft . Inter - war period . The ship continued routine patrol and " flag - showing " duties through 1919 and 1920 and into 1921 . On 8 July 1921 , the starboard propeller shaft parted , and the propeller was carried away . Proceeding on one engine , the ship finally arrived at Shanghai on 22 July and entered drydock . " Wilmington " operated on the Yangtze through December , when she headed south for duty along the China coast until heading to the Philippines where she operated into the late spring of 1922 . On 2 June of that year , the ship departed Olongapo and set her course for the east coast of the United States . En route , she called at Singapore ; Colombo , Ceylon ; Bombay and Karachi ; Aden , Arabia ; Port Said , Egypt ; Gibraltar ; and Ponta Delgada , in the Azores . On 20 September 1922 , the ship dropped anchor off the Portsmouth ( N . H . ) Navy Yard . The ship remained there in an unassigned state until July 1923 , when she was ordered to join the 3d Regiment , United States Navy Reserve Force , 9th Naval District , for the states of Ohio and Kentucky . After repairs and overhaul , Wilmington departed Portsmouth on 19 July , bound for Toledo , Ohio . The ship anchored off Quebec , Canada , on the 25th and proceeded on toward Montreal on the following day , arriving on 27 July . After passing through the Soulanges and Cornwall Canals , the gunboat proceeded up the St . Lawrence River to Kingston , Canada , before setting course for the Welland Canal . After coaling at Port Colborne , Wilmington entered Lake Erie , stopped briefly at Cleveland , and arrived off Toledo on 1 August 1923 . " Wilmington " served as a training ship on Lake Erie — operating out of Toledo and calling at Cleveland and Buffalo — well into 1923 . On 2 September of that year , the ship became inactive as her men were released from their training period . She remained in this state until 1 June 1924 , when a large draft of reservists reported on board for training . During that month , she operated in company with " Paducah " ( Gunboat No . 18 ) , " Dubuque " ( PG - 17 ) , and the unclassified vessel " Wilmette " . On 10 June , the commanding officer , 7 officers , and 55 men left the ship at Cleveland to participate in a parade in conjunction with the Republician Party ' s national convention . The following day , Secretary of the Navy Curtis D . Wilbur came on board to inspect the ship . Wilmington remained as training vessel on the Great Lakes for reservists through the 1930s , occasionally calling at Chicago , as well as her normal ports of call — Toledo , Buffalo , and Cleveland . During the winter months , she was laid up at her home base in preparation for spring and summer cruising . World War II . On 27 January 1941 , the gunboat was designated IX - 30 and renamed " Dover " . Based at Toledo , Ohio , the ship cruised on Lake Erie between Toledo and Cleveland until the autumn of 1942 , when she headed down the St . Lawrence River toward the Atlantic . She arrived at Quebec on 24 November and began voyage repairs and received a gun which was installed forward . " Dover " departed Quebec on 17 December and reached the Gut of Canso the next day . The ship operated in the vicinity of Canso and Gaspe Bay from 18 December and put into Halifax , Nova Scotia , on Christmas Eve . On Christmas Day , 1942 , Dover escorted Convoy HF - 42 out of the harbor , bound for Boston , and arrived with her charges at the Massachusetts port on 27 December . Following this duty , she put into New York , where she remained until 27 January 1943 , at which date she turned her bow south and headed for the warmer climes of the gulf coast . Arriving at Miami on 1 February , she soon departed and made port at Gulfport , Mississippi , three days later . Subsequently operating under orders of the Commandant , 8th Naval District , at New Orleans , La . , " Dover " served as an armed guard training ship , performing this duty through the remainder of the war . Decommissioned on 20 December 1945 , she was struck from the Navy list on 8 January 1946 and sold for scrap on 30 December 1946 .