USS Connecticut ( BB - 18 ) USS " Connecticut " ( BB - 18 ) , the fourth United States Navy ship to be named after the state of Connecticut , was the lead ship of her class of six . Her keel was laid on March 10 , 1903 ; launched on September 29 , 1904 , " Connecticut " was commissioned on September 29 , 1906 as the most advanced ship in the U . S . Navy . " Connecticut " served as the flagship for the Jamestown Exposition in mid - 1907 , which commemorated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony . She later sailed with the Great White Fleet on a circumnavigation of the Earth to showcase the US Navy ' s growing fleet of blue - water - capable ships . After completing her service with the Great White Fleet , " Connecticut " participated in several flag - waving exercises intended to protect American citizens abroad until she was pressed into service as a troop transport at the end of World War I to expedite the return of American Expeditionary Force s from France . For the remainder of her career , " Connecticut " sailed to various places in both the Atlantic and Pacific while training newer recruits to the Navy . However , the provisions of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty stipulated that many of the older battleships , " Connecticut " among them , would have to be disposed of , so she was decommissioned on March 1 , 1922 and sold for scrap on November 1 , 1923 . Design . The design that evolved into the was conceived on March 6 , 1901 when Secretary of the Navy John Davis Long asked the Board on Construction for a study of future battleship designs . When this was completed , different bureaus supported different designs . The Board on Construction favored a ship on which and guns would be replaced by 24 newly designed guns , which were the most powerful guns with shells that could be handled by one person . In addition , the ships would mount twenty - four 3 - inch ( 76 mm ) anti - torpedo boat guns . The main armor would be thinner overall because it would be distributed over the entire length . The Board ' s favored design would result in a ship weighing displacement . The Bureau of Construction and Repair , however , proposed a modified with sixteen 8 - inch guns , twelve in turrets and four in casemate s ; the casemate guns were later eliminated , leaving twelve 8 - inch , twelve 6 - inch , and eight 3 - inch guns on a ship of . This design was later rejected because the reduction in anti - torpedo boat guns was too drastic . Although one of the two designs had been rejected , the debate did not end . In November , the Board decided on a different plan , with eight 8 - inch guns mounted in four waist turrets and 12 7 - inch guns . This arrangement was chosen because the 8 - inch gun could penetrate medium armor on battleships , and the 7 - inch gun was capable of rapid fire . The new design also had heavier armor and a thicker belt than the first design . Two ships of this plan , " Connecticut " and , were authorized on July 1 , 1902 , and three more were added on March 2 , 1903 : , , and . Launch . " Connecticut " was laid down on March 10 , 1903 and launched on September 29 , 1904 by the Brooklyn Navy Yard . She was sponsored by Miss Alice B . Welles , granddaughter of Gideon Welles , Secretary of the Navy during the American Civil War . A crowd of over 30 , 000 people attended the launch , as did many of the Navy ' s ships . The battleship s , , , , , , , and were at the ceremony , along with the protected cruiser s and and the auxiliary cruiser . Three attempts to sabotage the ship were discovered in 1904 . On March 31 , rivets on the keel plates were found bored through . On September 14 , a 1⅜ in ( 3 . 5 cm ) bolt was found driven into the launching way , where it protruded some 5 in ( 11 cm ) . Shortly after the " Connecticut " was launched on September 29 , a hole 1 in ( 2 . 5 cm ) in diameter was discovered drilled through a ⅝ in ( 1 . 6 cm ) steel keel plate . The ship ' s watertight compartments and pumps prevented her from sinking , and all damage was repaired . The incidents prompted the Navy to post armed guards at the shipyard , and an overnight watch was kept by a Navy tug manned by Marines who had orders to shoot to kill any unauthorized person attempting to approach the ship . As " Connecticut " was only 55 % complete when she was launched , missing most of her upper works , protection , machinery and armament , it was two years before " Connecticut " was commissioned on September 29 , 1906 . Captain William Swift was the first captain of the new battleship . " Connecticut " sailed out of New York for the first time on December 15 , 1906 , becoming the first ship in the US Navy to ever go to sea without a sea trial . She first journeyed south to the Virginia Capes , where she conducted a variety of training exercises ; this was followed by a shakedown cruise and battle practice off Cuba and Puerto Rico . During the cruise , she participated in a search for the missing steamer " Ponce " . On January 13 , 1907 , " Connecticut " ran onto a reef while entering the harbor at Culebra Island . The Navy did not release any information about the grounding until press dispatches from San Juan carrying news of the incident reached the mainland on January 23 . Even then , Navy authorities in San Juan claimed to be ignorant of the situation , and , that same day , the Navy Department itself said that they only knew that Captain Swift thought she had touched bottom and that an examination of the ship ' s bottom by divers had revealed no damage . The Navy amended this the next day , releasing a statement that " Connecticut " had been only slightly damaged and had returned to her shakedown cruise . However , damage to the ship was much more serious than the Navy admitted ; in contrast to an official statement saying that " Connecticut " had only " touched " the rocks , she actually had run full upon the reef when traversing " a course well marked with buoys " in " broad daylight " and did enough damage to probably require a dry docking . This apparent attempt at a cover - up was enough for the United States Congress to consider an official inquiry into the matter . On March 21 , the Navy announced that Swift would be court - martial ed for " through negligence , causing a vessel to run upon a rock " and " neglect of duty in regard to the above " . Along with the officer of the deck at the time of the accident , Lieutenant E . H . Yarnell , Swift faced a court martial of seven rear admirals , a captain , and a lieutenant . He was sentenced to one year ' s suspension from duty , later reduced to nine months ; after about six months , the sentence was remitted on October 24 . However , he was not assigned command of another ship . " Connecticut " steamed back to Hampton Roads after this , arriving on April 16 ; when she arrived , Rear Admiral Robley D . Evans , commander of the Atlantic Fleet , transferred his flag from to " Connecticut " , making her the flagship of the fleet . President Theodore Roosevelt opened the Jamestown Exposition on April 25 , and " Connecticut " was named as the official host of the vessels that were visiting from other countries . Sailors and marines from the ship took part in various events ashore , and foreign dignitaries , along with the governors of Virginia and Rhode Island , were hosted aboard the ship on April 29 . Evans closed the Exposition on May 4 on the quarterdeck of " Connecticut " . On June 10 , " Connecticut " joined in the Presidential Fleet Review ; she left three days later for an overhaul in the New York Naval Yard . After the overhaul , " Connecticut " conducted maneuvers off Hampton Roads and target practice off Cape Cod . She was ordered back to the New York Naval Yard once again on September 6 for a refit that would make her suitable for use as flagship of the Great White Fleet . Flagship of the Great White Fleet . " Connecticut " left the New York Naval Yard on December 5 , 1907 and arrived the next day in Hampton Roads , where the Great White Fleet would assemble with her as their flagship . After an eight - day period known as " Navy Farewell Week " during which festivities were held for the departing sailors , and all 16 battleships took on full loads of coal , stores , and ammunition , the ships were ready to depart . The battleship captains paid their respects to President Theodore Roosevelt on the presidential yacht , and all the ships weighed anchor and departed at 1000 . They passed in review before the President , and then began traveling south . After steaming past Cape Hatteras , the fleet headed for the Caribbean . They approached Puerto Rico on the 20th , caught sight of Venezuela on the 22nd , and later dropped anchor in Port of Spain , the capital of Trinidad , making the first port visit of the Great White Fleet . With the torpedo boat flotilla that had left Hampton Roads two weeks previously , and five colliers to fill the coal bunkers of the fleet , Port of Spain had a total of 32 US Navy ships in the harbor , making it " [ resemble ] a U . S . Navy base " . After spending Christmas in Trinidad , the ships departed for Rio de Janeiro on December 29 . A ceremonial Brazilian escort of three cruisers met the task force outside of Rio , and " thousands of wildly cheering Brazilians lined the shore " ; 10 days of ceremonies , games , and festivities followed , and the stopover was so successful that the visit was the cause of a major boost in US – Brazilian relations . The fleet left Rio on January 22 , 1908 , still heading south , this time bound for the coaling stop of Punta Arenas , Chile . Four cruisers from Argentina , " San Martin " , " Buenos Ayres " , " 9 De Julio " , and " Pueyrredon " , all under the command of Admiral Hipolito Oliva , sailed to salute the American ships on their way to Chile . The fleet arrived at Punta Arenas on February 1 and spent five days in the town of 14 , 000 . Heading north , they followed the coastline of Chile , passing in review of Chilean President Pedro Montt on February 14 outside of Valparaíso , and they were escorted to Callao in Peru by the cruiser " Coronel Bolognesi " on 19 and February 20 . Peru ' s president , José Pardo , came aboard " Connecticut " during this time , as Rear Admiral Evans was quite ill and could not go ashore . After taking on coal , the ships steamed for Mexico on February 29 , passing in review of the cruiser " Almirante Grau " , which had Pardo embarked , before leaving . Arriving in Mexico on March 20 , the fleet underwent three weeks of target practice . Rear Admiral Evans was relieved of command during this time , as he was completely bedridden and in constant pain , so on March 30 , " Connecticut " set sail north at full speed . She was met two days later by the schooner , which took the admiral to a hospital . " Connecticut " traveled back south to rejoin the fleet , and Rear Admiral Charles M . Thomas took Evans ' s place on " Connecticut " as the commander of the fleet , which continued its journey north , bound for California . On May 5 , Evans returned to " Connecticut " in time for the fleet ' s sailing through the Golden Gate on May 6 , although he was still in pain . Over one million people watched the 42 - ship fleet sail into the bay . After a grand parade through San Francisco , a review of the fleet by Secretary of the Navy Victor H . Metcalf , a gala reception , and a farewell address from Evans ( who was retiring due to his illness and his age ) , the fleet left San Francisco for Seattle , with Rear Admiral Charles Stillman Sperry as commander . The ships all underwent refits before the next leg of the voyage . The fleet left the West Coast again on 7 July , bound for Hawaii , which it reached on July 16 . Leaving Hawaii on July 22 , the ships next stopped at Auckland , Sydney , and Melbourne . High seas and winds hampered the ships for part of the voyage to New Zealand , but they arrived on August 9 ; festivities , parades , balls , and games were staples of the visits to each city . The highlight of the austral visit was a parade of 12 , 000 U . S . Navy , Royal Navy , and Commonwealth naval and military personnel in front of 250 , 000 people . After stopping at Manila in the Philippines , the fleet set course for Yokohama , Japan . They encountered a typhoon on the way on October 12 , but no ships were lost ; the fleet was only delayed 24 hours . After three Japanese men - of - war and six merchantmen escorted the Americans in , festivities began . The celebrations culminated in the Uraga , where Commodore Matthew C . Perry had anchored a little more than 50 years prior . The ships then departed on October 25 . After three weeks of exercises in the Philippines ' Subic Bay , the ships sailed south on December 1 for Singapore ; they did not stop there , however , passing outside the city on December 6 . Continuing on , they stopped at Colombo for coal from 12 – 20 December before sailing on for the Suez Canal . It took three days for all 16 battleships to traverse the canal , even though it was closed to all other traffic . They then headed for a coaling stop at Port Said , Egypt , after which the fleet split up into individual divisions to call on different ports in the Mediterranean . The First Division , of which " Connecticut " was a part , originally planned to visit Italy before moving on to Villefranche , but " Connecticut " and were quickly dispatched to southern Italy on a humanitarian mission when news of an earthquake reached the fleet . Seamen from the ships helped clear debris and unload supplies from the U . S . Navy refrigerated supply ship ; Admiral Sperry received the personal thanks of King Victor Emmanuel III for their assistance . After port calls were concluded , the ships headed for Gibraltar , where they found a conglomerate of warships from many different nations awaiting them " with decks manned and horns blaring " : the battleships and with the cruiser and the Second Cruiser Squadron represented Great Britain ' s Royal Navy , battleships and with cruisers , and represented the Imperial Russian Navy , and various gunboats represented France and the Netherlands . After coaling for five days , the ships got under way and left for home on February 6 , 1909 . After weathering a few storms , the ships met nine of their fellow U . S . Navy ships five days out of Hampton Roads : four battleships ( , , , and – the only sister of " Connecticut " to not make the cruise , two armored cruisers , and three scout cruisers . " Connecticut " then led all of these warships around Tail - of - the - Horseshoe Lightship on February 22 to pass in review of President Roosevelt , who was then on the presidential yacht anchored off Old Point Comfort , ending a trip . Roosevelt boarded the ship after she anchored and gave a short speech , saying , " You ' ve done the trick . Other nations may do as you have done , but they ' ll follow you . " Pre - World War I . Following her return from the world cruise , " Connecticut " continued to serve as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet , interrupted only by a March 1909 overhaul at the New York Navy Yard . After rejoining the fleet , she cruised the East Coast from her base at Norfolk , Virginia . For the rest of 1909 , the battleship conducted training and participated in ceremonial observances , such as the Hudson - Fulton Celebration . In early January 1910 , " Connecticut " left for Cuban waters and stayed there until late March when she returned to New York for a refit . After several months conducting maneuvers and battle practice off the New England coast , she left for Europe on November 2 to go on a midshipman training cruise . She arrived in Portland , England on November 15 and was present during the December 1 birthday celebration of Queen Alexandra , the queen mother . " Connecticut " next visited Cherbourg , France , where she welcomed visitors from the town and also hosted commander - in - chief of the French Navy " Vice - Amiral " Laurent Marin - Darbel , and a delegation of his officers . While there , a boat crew from " Connecticut " engaged a crew from the French battleship in a rowing race ; " Connecticut " s crew won by twelve lengths . " Connecticut " departed French waters for Guantánamo Bay , Cuba on December 30 , and stayed there until March 17 , when she departed for Hampton Roads . " Connecticut " was the leader of the ships that passed in review during the Presidential Fleet Review in New York on November 2 ; she then remained in New York until January 12 , 1912 , when she returned to Guantánamo Bay . During a March overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Yard , the battleship relinquished her role as flagship to the armored cruiser . After the overhaul ' s completion , " Connecticut " s activities through the end of 1912 included practicing with torpedoes in Fort Pond Bay , conducting fleet maneuvers , and battle practice off Block Island and the Virginia Capes . Stopping in New York , " Connecticut " conducted training exercises in Guantánamo Bay from February 13 to March 20 ; during this time ( on the 28th ) , she once again became the Atlantic Fleet flagship for a brief and final time when she served in the interim as Rear Admiral Charles J . Badger transferred his flag from to . After taking on stores in Philadelphia , " Connecticut " sailed for Mexico and arrived on April 22 ; she was to patrol the waters near Tampico and Vera Cruz , protecting American citizens and interests during disturbances there and in Haiti . On June 22 , 1912 , " Connecticut " departed Mexican waters for Philadelphia , where she was dry docked for three months of repairs . Upon their completion , " Connecticut " conducted gunnery practice off the Virginia Capes . On October 23 , " Connecticut " became the flagship of the Fourth Battleship Division . After the division passed in review before Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer on the 25th , " Connecticut " left for Genoa , Italy , where she remained until November 30 . The battleship departed Italy for Vera Cruz and arrived on December 23 . She took refugees from Mexico to Galveston and carried officers of the Army and representative from the Red Cross back in the opposite direction . On May 29 , 1914 , while still in Mexico , " Connecticut " relinquished the duty of flagship to , but remained in Mexico until July 2 , when she left for Havana . Arriving there on July 8 , " Connecticut " embarked Madison R . Smith , the US minister to Haiti , and took him to Port - au - Prince , arriving five days later . " Connecticut " remained in Haiti for a month , then left for Philadelphia on August 8 and arrived there on August 14 . " Connecticut " then went to Maine and the Virginia Capes for battle practice , after which she went into the Philadelphia Naval Yard for an overhaul . After more than 15 weeks , " Connecticut " emerged on January 15 , 1915 and steamed south to Cuba , where she conducted training exercises before returning to Philadelphia . She remained there until July 31 , when she embarked 433 men from the Second Regiment , First Brigade , of the United States Marine Corps for transport to Port - au - Prince , where they were put ashore on August 5 as part of the US occupation of Haiti . " Connecticut " delivered supplies to amphibious troops in Cap - Haïtien on September 5 and remained near Haiti for the next few months , supporting landing parties ashore , including detachments of Marines and sailors from " Connecticut " under the command of Major Smedley Butler . After departing Haiti , " Connecticut " arrived in Philadelphia on December 15 and was placed into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . World War I . As part of the US response to Germany ' s unrestricted submarine warfare , " Connecticut " was recommissioned on October 3 , 1916 . Two days later , Admiral Herbert O . Dunn made her the flagship of the Fifth Battleship Division , transferring his flag from " Minnesota " . " Connecticut " operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean until the United States entered World War I on April 6 , 1917 . For the duration of the war , " Connecticut " was based in York River , Virginia . More than 1 , 000 trainees — midshipmen and gun crews for merchant ships — took part in exercises on her while she sailed in Chesapeake Bay and off the Virginia Capes . Inter - war period . At the close of the war , " Connecticut " was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force for transport duty , and from January 6 - June 22 , 1919 she made four voyages to return troops from France . On January 6 , she left Hampton Roads for Brest , France , where she embarked 1 , 000 troops . After bringing them to New York ( arriving on February 2 ) , " Connecticut " traveled back to Brest and picked up the 53rd Pioneer Regiment , a company of Marines , and a company of military police , 1 , 240 troops in all . These men were delivered to Hampton Roads on March 24 . After two months , " Connecticut " made another run overseas : following a short period of liberty in Paris for her crew , she embarked 891 men variously from the 502nd Army Engineers , a medical detachment , and the Red Cross . They were dropped off in Newport News on June 22 . On June 23 , 1919 , after having returned over 4 , 800 men , " Connecticut " was reassigned as flagship of the Second Battleship Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet , under the command of Vice Admiral Hilary P . Jones . While based in Philadelphia for the next 11 months , " Connecticut " trained midshipmen . On May 2 , 1920 , 200 midshipmen boarded the ship for a training cruise . In company with the other battleships of her squadron , " Connecticut " sailed to the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal in order to visit four ports - of - call : Honolulu , Seattle , San Francisco , and San Pedro Bay ( Los Angeles and Long Beach ) . After visiting all four , the squadron made their way back through the canal and headed for home . However , the port engine of " Connecticut " gave out three days after transiting the canal , requiring " New Hampshire " to tow the battleship into Guantánamo Bay . The pair arrived on August 28 . The midshipmen were debarked there , and Vice Admiral Jones transferred his flag from " Connecticut " to his new flagship , . The Navy repair ship was dispatched from New York on September 1 to tow " Connecticut " to Philadelphia ; they arrived at the Navy Yard there on September 11 . On March 21 , 1921 , " Connecticut " again became the flagship of the Second Battleship Squadron when Rear Admiral Charles Frederick Hughes took command . The ships of the squadron departed Philadelphia on April 7 to perform maneuvers and training exercises off Cuba , though they returned to take part in the Presidential Review in Hampton Roads on April 28 . After participating in Naval Academy celebrations on Memorial Day , " Connecticut " and her squadmates departed on a midshipman cruise which took them to Europe . On June 28 , " Connecticut " hosted a Norwegian delegation that included King Haakon VII , Prime Minister Otto Blehr , the Minister of Defence , and the First Sea Lord of the Royal Norwegian Navy . After arriving in Portugal on July 21 , the battleship hosted the Civil Governor of the Province of Lisbon and the Commander - in - Chief of the Portuguese Navy . Six days later , " Connecticut " hosted the Portuguese president , António José de Almeida . The battleship squadron departed for Guantánamo Bay on July 29 and , after arrival there , remained for gunnery practice and exercises . " Connecticut " , leaving the rest of the squadron , departed for Annapolis and disembarked her midshipmen on August 30 , then proceeded to Philadelphia . " Connecticut " departed Philadelphia for California on October 4 for duty with the Pacific Fleet . After touching at San Diego on the 27th , she arrived on October 28 at San Pedro , where Rear Admiral H . O . Stickney designated her the flagship of Pacific Fleet Training . For the next few months , " Connecticut " cruised along the West Coast , taking part in exercises and commemorations . Under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty , which set tonnage limits for its signatory nations , the Navy designated " Connecticut " for scrapping . Getting under way for her final voyage on December 11 , she made a five - day journey to the Puget Sound Navy Yard , where she was decommissioned on March 1 , 1923 . On November 1 , the ex - " Connecticut " was sold for scrap to Walter W . Johnson of San Francisco for the sum of $ 42 , 750 .