USS Amphitrite ( BM - 2 ) The second USS " Amphitrite " — the lead ship in her class of iron - hulled , twin - screw monitors — was laid down in 1874 at Wilmington , Delaware , by the Harlan and Hollingsworth yard ; launched on 7 June 1883 ; sponsored by Miss Nellie Benson , the daughter of a Harlan and Hollingsworth official ; and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard , Portsmouth , Virginia , on 23 April 1895 , Captain William C . Wise in command . Rapid changes in naval technology and doctrine during the two decades she was under construction had repeatedly delayed her progress , and she was redesigned twice while still under construction . Early service . During the course of the late spring and summer , the monitor , assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron , visited eastern seaboard ports : Savannah , Georgia ( 17 to 23 May ) , Port Royal , South Carolina ( 23 May to 8 June ) , Brunswick , Georgia ( 23 to 28 July ) , Southport , North Carolina , ( 2 to 10 August ) and a return visit to Port Royal ( 12 to 20 August ) , interspersing these port visits with operations out of Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay . Early in the course of this period of operations , the combination of defects in the design of monitors in general ( inadequate ventilation for engine room forces , particularly ) and the summer heat produced hellish conditions on board " Amphitrite " , in some cases actually felling members of the " black gang " who had to carry out their tasks in the ship ' s engine and fire rooms . Following post - shakedown repairs and alterations at Norfolk , " Amphitrite " sailed on 20 November 1895 for Annapolis , Maryland , arriving there on the following day . Dropping down to the York River and Lynnhaven Bay soon thereafter , the monitor conducted target practice at Hampton Roads before returning to Norfolk . She then proceeded south from Norfolk on 13 December 1895 for the lower eastern seaboard . She visited Charleston , South Carolina en route , and reached Key West on 9 January 1896 . She remained at Key West , drilling naval militia , for six months , departing the Florida port on 10 June for a succession of ports , Brunswick , Savannah , and Southport , ultimately arriving back at Norfolk on 29 June . She served on naval militia instruction at Norfolk until 9 July , when she accompanied the Atlantic Squadron on drills off Tolchester Beach , Maryland . She spent the next several months operating between Norfolk , Charleston , and Tompkinsville , Staten Island , into early May 1897 . While operating out of Charleston between February and April 1897 , she conducted underway training on the average of three days per month . Detached from the Atlantic Squadron on 7 May 1897 , " Amphitrite " served as a training ship for the instruction of gun captains . As such , she was apparently placed in ordinary at Norfolk , since she was not recommissioned until 2 October 1897 , with Capt . Charles J . Barclay in command . The men she placed in service soon proved to be invaluable in the war with Spain . Some 45 trained gun captains " who had received exact training fit to match the modern gun " , gave a " good account of themselves " in action against Spanish ships . Clearing Hampton Roads on 5 October , the monitor visited New Bedford , Massachusetts , from 7 to 23 October , and Tompkinsville from 24 October to 12 November , before she returned south , to Lambert ' s Point , Virginia , arriving on 14 November . Clearing Hampton Roads on 16 November , " Amphitrite " reached Port Royal on 19 November , and remained there for over a month . After visiting Charleston from 23 December 1897 to 1 January 1898 , she then returned to Port Royal , remaining there for over three months . Spanish - American War . In February 1898 , tensions between the United States and Spain served as the backdrop for the explosion , in Havana Harbor , of the armored cruiser . As the United States and Spain moved toward war , a flurry of orders began deploying the Navy to be ready for hostilities . " Amphitrite " sailed from Port Royal on 5 April , and arrived at Key West on the 8th . She remained there until the 22nd , before she operated from that place from 22 to 27 April . She was at sea when the United States declared war on Spain , beginning the Spanish - American War . On 1 May , " Amphitrite " and her sister ship departed Key West , and shortly thereafter joined Rear Admiral William T . Sampson ' s fleet on the way east from its cruise off the coast of Cuba in search of Admiral Pascual Cervera ' s squadron . Because the monitors could not carry large amounts of coal , Sampson directed that the monitors be towed by the heavier ships . drew " Amphitrite " , a task recalled with little affection by the former ' s commanding officer , Capt . Robley D . Evans , in his autobiography : After " many vexatious delays " , Evans writes , the American ships arrived off their destination , San Juan , Puerto Rico , on the afternoon of the 11th . On the morning of 12 May , " Amphitrite " was assigned to the 1st division , and steamed sixth in column as Sampson ' s ships stood toward San Juan . The admiral had seen that there were no Spanish ships in harbor — the object of his cruise — but decided to attack the defenses of the port , to " develop their defenses and strength " and then turn to the westward to continue the hunt . Beneath fair skies , the American ships stood through the long swells toward their objective . Calling " all hands " at 0400 hours to complete preparations for action , the ships went to general quarters an hour later . " Iowa " began the action at 0516 hours with her forward 6 - pounders . For two and a half hours , the ships bombarded the Spanish positions at San Juan . " Amphitrite " hurled 17 10 - inch shells shoreward , as well as 30 4 - inch shells , 30 3 - pounders and 22 6 - pounders in the course of the action . The blast from the ship ' s 10 - inch guns destroyed the gig and railings on the superstructure , and other items of minor damage which did not " destroy in any degree the efficiency of the vessel . " The chronic irritation of the ship - poor ventilation - afflicted the ship in the course of the action , when a gunner ' s mate on duty in the after turret died from the heat . " Amphitrite ' s " Capt . Barclay commented on the lamentable conditions in his after - action report , pointing out that when the ship was closed up at action stations , the " utter lack of ventilation below . . . " produced " heat so intense as to render it almost impossible for men stationed there to remain at their posts . " Toward the end of the action , " Amphitrite " lost the services of half of her main battery , when an armored hose on the exhaust pipe of the after turret burst , disabling it " at a moment when it could have rendered very efficient service . " The monitor had sent the signal to the flagship that her after turret had been disabled , at 1912 hours ; at 1945 hours , " Iowa " sounded " secure . " Sampson ' s fleet then formed column to the northwest and retired . " Amphitrite " returned to Key West , her base of operations , on 19 May , and remained there until the 24th . Over the next two and a half months , " Amphitrite " operated put of Key West on blockade duty , expanding her area of operations to include waters off Cap - Haïtien , Haiti , in late July , shortly before she was ordered to Cape San Juan , Puerto Rico , the designated landing site for the U . S . Army invasion of Porto Rico . Anchored behind a key just offshore and out of sight of the mainland since 1 August , on the evening of 6 August , Captain Barclay sent two boat parties ashore containing 28 sailors and 7 officers from " Amphitrite " under command of Lt . Charles N . Atwater and Passed Assistant Engineer David J . Jenkins , with orders to relight and occupy the Cape San Juan Light . They were also ordered to quarter 60 women and children of the town of Fajardo that were deemed in danger for having sided with the Americans . Tragically , Cadet William H . Boardman was mortally wounded when his revolver dislodged from its faulty holster , fell to the marble floor and fired into his left inner thigh as he was entering the darkened lighthouse with three sailors . That night Boardman was evacuated to " Amphitrite " , where he passed away two days later . Boardman was one of only 23 combat - related U . S . Navy deaths during the entire Spanish American War and the only Navy death during Puerto Rican operations . After learning of the American presence , on 4 August , Governor General Manuel Macías y Casado sent Colonel Pedro del Pino and about 220 troops , including civil guardsmen to recapture the town . When Colonel Pino entered Fajardo on the afternoon of 7 August , he found it nearly deserted because the residents , fearing a battle , had fled to the Fajardo Light and the surrounding hills . At close to midnight on 8 August , Pino ' s troops began their assault on the lighthouse . The landing party of " Amphitrite ' s " sailors occupying the lighthouse doused the light and signaled the ships offshore , initiating shore bombardment as the naval guns began firing a protective pattern . After two hours exchanging small arms and machine gun fire with the Americans in the lighthouse , the Spanish forces retreated back to Fajardo . The Americans suffered no casualties , despite a close call when a wayward naval shell smashed through the 2 - foot thick walls of the lighthouse within touch of 6 men but failed to explode . The Spanish losses were 2 dead and 3 wounded , including a lieutenant . Early the next morning , Captain Barclay decided the continued occupation of the lighthouse was of marginal value and ordered his men back to the ship . A landing party of 30 sailors from " Amphitrite " and a similar number of U . S . Marines from the USS " Cincinnati " under Lieutenant John A . Lejeune came ashore to secure the area while the 60 Fajardan civilians boarded the armed tug for passage to Ponce . The bluejackets closed the lighthouse , left the U . S . flag flying and returned to the ship . In Fajardo , Pino ’ s men tore down the U . S . flags that flew over the harbor Customs House and City Hall , returning to San Juan after verifying that the lighthouse was abandoned . The contingent of about 20 civil guards that had accompanied Pino , were left to maintain order in the town . The Battle of Fajardo was the only time that American forces withdrew from a position during the Puerto Rican Campaign . " Amphitrite " departed Cape San Juan on 18 August for Guánica , Puerto Rico , arriving the following day , and lingered there until 31 August , on which day she sailed for St . Nicholas Mole , Haiti . Proceeding then to Hampton Roads , she arrived there on 20 September . Departing that port six days later on 26 September , " Amphitrite " moved up to Boston , Massachusetts , where she remained from 29 September 1898 to 25 February 1899 . Training ship . For the next few months , " Amphitrite " operated off the eastern seaboard of the United States , off Sandy Hook , out of Hampton Roads , and out of Port Royal before she returned to Hampton Roads from 21 to 30 May 1899 for gunnery instruction . She subsequently visited Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Newport , Rhode Island , and New Bedford . Owing to her light draft and steady platform , " Amphitrite " was deemed well adapted for gunnery work , and received on board two classes a year consisting of 60 men . From 1 July to 4 October 1899 , the monitor carried out gunnery instruction out of New Bedford , and on 12 October sailed for the New York Navy Yard for necessary repairs . Upon completion of this yard period , " Amphitrite " sailed for Port Royal on 3 December , stopping en route at Norfolk for coal and ammunition . Arriving at her destination on 9 December , she commenced her gunnery training course nine days later . On 17 January 1900 , the tug was turned over to " Amphitrite " and fitted with a battery of one 6 - pounder and one one - pounder ; for the remainder of the course , the tug proved a valuable adjunct to the monitor , serving as an " economical , handy , and effective moving platform " for moving subcaliber practice . " Amphitrite " completed her work at Port Royal on 19 April and proceeded north , accompanied by " Chickasaw " , stopping at Norfolk en route , and reached Tompkinsville on 9 May , proceeding thence to New Bedford , arriving there on 14 June . The tug subsequently replaced " Chickasaw " as " Amphitrite ' s " tender , joining the monitor off New Bedford on 25 June 1900 . " Amphitrite " carried out her gunnery training until departing New Bedford on 5 October for the Boston Navy Yard , where she underwent repairs from 7 October to 14 November . Receiving drafts of men for gunnery class at Tompkinsville and Norfolk , the monitor proceeded back to Port Royal , arriving there on 29 November . Outside of a brief port visit to Brunswick , Ga . , between 28 January and 6 February 1901 , " Amphitrite " remained at Port Royal until 10 May , when she sailed for Norfolk and Tompkinsville , arriving at the latter on 3 June , en route back to her ultimate destination of New Bedford . " Amphitrite " continued the important work of training gun captains through the summer and into the fall . Deemed in need of a general overhaul , " Amphitrite " was placed out of commission at the Boston Navy Yard on 30 November 1901 . Recommissioned at Boston on 1 December 1902 , Lt . Comdr . Edwin H . Tellman in command , " Amphitrite " was ordered to the Naval Training Station at Newport , for duty , on 10 January 1903 . She served there until early in 1904 , when she was sent to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba , for duty as station ship . She performed this duty until detached on 19 June 1907 , and was placed out of commission at League Island on 3 August 1907 . Placed in commission , in reserve , on 14 June 1910 , " Amphitrite " was assigned to duty , training reservists , at St . Louis , Missouri , under the command of Chief Boatswain Patrick Shanahan , a duty she performed until assigned to training reservists at New Orleans , Louisiana , on 12 May 1912 . Detached from this duty four years later , on 12 May 1916 , the ship then proceeded to New Haven , Connecticut , for assignment with the naval militia of the state of Connecticut . World War I . " Amphitrite " cleared Bridgeport , Connecticut , on 2 February 1917 for repairs and alterations at the New York Navy Yard , arriving the following day , 2 February . On 17 February , the ship departed the yard and stood down river to the Narrows , near Rosebank , Staten Island , NY , for work on the submarine net in company with three tugs , " Hudson " , " W . J . Conway " , and " Lizzie D . " , and Navy lighters , " Transport " , and the tug " S . W . Holbrook " . Later , in company with " M . M . Millard " , " George T . Kirkham " , and " John Nichols " , she continued her work laying the net off Rosebank . After further repairs at the Navy Yard from 2 to 17 March " Amphitrite " resumed duty with the Naval Militia of Connecticut , arriving at New Haven on 18 March . She carried out this training duty , with drafts of men from Yale and Harvard for instruction in ordnance , signalling , and seamanship , into early April . With the entry of the United States into World War I at that time , " Amphitrite " departed New Haven on 7 April for the New York Navy Yard and repairs and alterations . She returned to Rosebank to guard the nets on 15 April . She was assigned to the 3d Naval District on 27 April 1917 . Assigned the duty of examining all ships entering or leaving New York harbor ( except Army or Navy ships which identified themselves by exchange of signals ) , " Amphitrite " also received all reports of submarine activity with the waters off the district . At night , she trained her searchlights on the nets at regular intervals or to allow passage of authorized vessels . Such duty was not without hazard . At 1916 hours on 13 June 1917 , the steamship " Manchuria " was standing out of New York Harbor in a thick fog and collided with " Amphitrite " , suffering damage below the waterline . Attempting to clear , " Manchuria " scraped the guardship ' s bow , and her propeller strut fouled her cable , holding her fast for 20 minutes . " Manchuria " lowered her boats and abandoned ship ; two section patrol boats and a motor sailer stood by and took life boats in tow . Ultimately , " Manchuria " was towed and beached off Tompkinsville , while " Amphitrite " continued her net - tending duties . On 26 October , the guardship proceeded to the New York Navy Yard for repairs , remaining there until 20 November , when she returned to her station at Rosebank . She was carrying out her duties there when , on 14 December 1917 , the British steamship " British Isles " collided with her during a heavy snow squall , doing not only considerable damage to " Amphitrite " but to the torpedo nets at the Narrows as well . Following repairs , " Amphitrite " remained on duty at Rosebank , interspersing guardship duties with upkeep and repairs at the New York Navy Yard , into October 1918 . Leaving New York on 24 October for Hampton Roads , " Amphitrite " carried out standardization runs and target practice at Tangier Sound in late October and the first week of November ; on 8 November , she left Tangier Sound , via Hampton Roads , for Rosebank . She arrived back at Staten Island on 11 November 1918 , the day the war ended in Europe with the armistice . Ultimately , " Amphitrite " left New York for Philadelphia on 30 April 1919 , arriving on 1 May . " Amphitrite " was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 31 May 1919 and stricken from the Navy List on 24 July 1919 . On 3 January 1920 , she was sold to A . L . D . Bucksten of Elizabeth City , North Carolina . Commercial service . Stripped of her turrets and superstructure , the ship was towed to Beaufort , South Carolina , where she was used as a floating hotel . She was subsequently towed to Florida for the same purpose , and it was rumored that " a certain amount of fashionable gambling was carried out on board . " Notorious gangster Al Capone was rumored to have been interested in the erstwhile warship . Chartered by the government in 1943 , the ship was towed via inland waters to Elizabeth City , where she provided housing facilities for the workers building a new naval air station there . Following World War II , she lay alongside a wharf at Georgetown , South Carolina , whence she was towed to Baltimore , Maryland , in the spring of 1950 . She was placed into a slip dredged into the bank at Sandy Point , near where the new Chesapeake Bay Bridge was to be built , but business for a floating restaurant and hotel proved slow and she was sold again in the spring of 1951 , and was taken to Baltimore . Plans to refit the ship for work supporting oil exploration in the Venezuelan oil fields came to naught , and the ship was sold to the Patapsco Steel Corp . , Fairfield , Maryland . By the spring of 1952 , the scrapping had been completed .