USS Newark ( C - 1 ) The first USS " Newark " ( C - 1 ) was a United States Navy protected cruiser , the first modern cruiser in the US fleet . She was laid down by William Cramp and Sons , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , on 12 June 1888 , launched on 19 March 1890 , sponsored by Miss Annie Boutelle , the daughter of Congressman Charles A . Boutelle of Maine , and commissioned on 2 February 1891 , Captain Silas Casey III in command . Service history . North & South Atlantic , 1891 – 1897 . " Newark " operated off the $ 3 coast for ten months , taking part in maneuvers and exercises until detached on 8 December at Norfolk Navy Yard . There she remained , undergoing post - shakedown overhaul until being assigned on 11 March 1892 to the North Atlantic Squadron and sailing on the 14th for the West Indies . The cruiser operated in Caribbean waters and off the lower east coast , showing the flag in West Indies ports until returning to Norfolk on 5 June where she was made flagship of Rear Admiral Andrew E . K . Benham , Commander of the newly formed South Atlantic Squadron , on 25 June . She departed on 17 July for Cádiz , Spain to participate in the ceremonies commemorating the 400th Anniversary of Columbus ' sailing . Arriving on the 30th , she remained until 2 August then sailed for Genoa , Columbus ' birthplace , arriving one month later to continue the celebration . Putting out from Genoa on the 25th , " Newark " cruised the Mediterranean and the Adriatic , visiting many ports until arriving on 11 February 1893 at Cádiz to take in tow a full size reproduction of caravel " Niña " and sailing on the 18th for home . Transferred to the Naval Review Fleet for temporary duty on 1 March , the cruiser arrived at Havana on 21 March , parting with " Niña " there , thence sailing to Hampton Roads and New York where she picked up the caravel once more and proceeded down the St . Lawrence River to Quebec , leaving the little ship there on 11 June and returning to Norfolk on 22 June . " Newark " next sailed on 20 September , this time for Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , to protect American interests , arriving on 20 October and remaining until 1 April 1894 . The warship then operated off the South American coast with the South Atlantic Squadron , making one cruise to South Africa from August to October 1894 and another the same time the following year , before returning to Norfolk on 27 April 1896 . Assigned to the North Atlantic Station on 4 May , she joined her squadron at New York 25 June and engaged in patrol duty and exercises off the southeastern coast until decommissioning at Norfolk 6 March 1897 . Spanish – American War , 1898 . Following extensive overhaul , " Newark " recommissioned on 23 May 1898 , shortly after the declaration of war on Spain , Captain Albert S . Barker in command . She sailed on 13 June for Key West and then Cuba , joining the blockade on 30 June . Cruising in Cuban waters throughout the summer , the warship bombarded the port of Manzanillo on 12 August and on the following day accepted its surrender . After the battle of Santiago de Cuba , she participated in the final destruction of Admiral Cervera ' s fleet through bombardment of the burned hulks . " Newark " returned to New York on 26 November 1898 . Philippine - American War , 1899 . Departing New York on 23 March 1899 , the cruiser steamed down the coast of South America on patrol , stopping at numerous ports along the way . In the middle of her cruise , on 7 April , she was ordered to proceed through the Straits of Magellan to San Francisco . The ship , low on coal , was forced to put into Port Low , Chile , from 31 May to 22 June to cut wood ( ! ) for fuel . Finally arriving Mare Island Navy Yard on 4 September , " Newark " underwent repairs and then sailed on 17 October via Honolulu for the Philippines arriving Cavite on 25 November to support the U . S . Army in the Philippine - American War . The warship took station off Vigan , Luzon , landed troops for garrison duty , then moved on to Aparri on 10 December , receiving the surrender of insurrectionists in the provinces of Cagayan , Isabela , and Bataan . Boxer Rebellion , 1900 – 1901 . On 19 March 1900 , she sailed for Hong Kong to rendezvous with the monitor North Atlantic Fleet , 1902 – 1906 . " Newark " recommissioned on 3 November 1902 , Commander Richard Wainwright in command and sailed on 14 December for duty in southern waters . For the next two years she operated in the West Indies and off the coast of South America as part of the North Atlantic Fleet . Returning to Norfolk briefly on 27 October 1904 to 9 January 1905 , she resumed her duties in the West Indies for the first six months of the year and then in June , following exercises off Virginia , was assigned as a training ship to the United States Naval Academy . Placed in reserve at Annapolis on 15 September , she was restored to full duty on 3 May 1906 for her second east coast training cruise . Following this duty , she put into Norfolk on 13 September where she embarked a Marine detachment and sailed for Cuba on the 17th . The veteran cruiser returned home on 19 October and decommissioned at New York Navy Yard on 9 November . Cuba , 1908 – 1912 . Loaned to the New York Naval Militia on 23 March 1907 , she recommissioned exactly one year later for duty as a station ship at the Naval Station , Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . Arriving on 2 April 1908 , she served on this duty until returning to Norfolk on 5 December 1912 to be placed in reserve on the 31st . " Newark " decommissioned on 16 June 1912 and was stricken from the Navy List on 26 June . Hospital ship , 1912 – 1926 . The old cruiser continued to serve her country following her Navy service . Turned over to the Public Health Service , she served as quarantine hulk for the hospital in Providence , Rhode Island , until 1918 when she returned to the Navy to serve throughout World War I as an annex to the Naval Hospital , Newport , Rhode Island . Later transferred to New York , she returned to the Public Health Service at Providence , in May 1919 . On 7 July 1926 she was again returned to the Navy Department for disposal and was sold on 7 September .