USS Puritan ( BM - 1 ) The second USS " Puritan " was a " Puritan " class monitor in the United States Navy , constructed in 1882 . She was the only ship in her class . Construction . The never - completed of the American Civil War underwent the same extent of rebuilding as the four " Miantonomoh " - class under the direction of Secretary of the Navy George Robeson . The revised design of the " repaired " " Puritan " called for two turrets , and with her superstructure , tall stack , and military mast , she had the characteristics which identified the monitors built between 1889 and 1903 . Because of the level of disrepair on the original " Puritan " , a new " Puritan " was built by John Roach & Sons of Chester , Pennsylvania and completed by the New York Navy Yard , Brooklyn , New York . Officially the Navy records list this action as a repair and redesignation of the original " Puritan " , not the building of a new vessel even though very few building materials from the original were included in the construction of the second . The new " Puritan " was launched 6 December 1882 and commissioned on 10 December 1896 , with Captain John Russell Bartlett in command . By 1891 , she had been equipped with four 12 - inch ( 305 mm ) guns in barbette turrets , with a plane of fire ten and a half feet ( 3 . 2 m ) above the water . The armored belt was 5 feet 7 inches ( 1 . 7 m ) deep , 14 inches ( 360 mm ) thick amidships , with an armor deck of 2 inches ( 50 mm ) ; barbettes , 14 inches ( 360 mm ) ; and inclined turrets , 8 inches ( 200 mm ) . The original officer quarters were below deck , but these were given up to be additional crew quarters after new officers quarters were constructed in the superstructure . Service history . " Puritan " had a busy career in 1898 during the Spanish - American War . Assigned to the Cuban blockade in April , she joined and in shelling Matanzas on the 27th . After a stop at Key West in early May , she departed on the 20th to join the force building under Rear Admiral William T . Sampson that would eventually move against Santiago . " Puritan " linked up on the 22nd and Sampson moved his ships to Key Frances on the Nicholas Channel in order to execute his plan to contain the Spanish Fleet at Santiago . The success of Sampson ’ s squadron at Santiago on 3 July resulted in almost the complete destruction of the Spanish Fleet . After Cuba , she sailed for Puerto Rico where she landed a party of US Marines and shelled the Spanish positions at the Battle of Fajardo . Following war - time service , " Puritan " served as a practice ship for the Naval Academy from 1899 to 1902 . She was decommissioned on 16 April 1903 at Philadelphia but was recommissioned 3 June to serve as a receiving ship at League Island . In 1904 , she was loaned to the Naval Militia of Washington , D . C . and served with them until 14 September 1909 . " Puritan " then moved to Norfolk , Virginia where she was again decommissioned on 23 April 1910 . In March 1910 , it was proposed by a commodore that the monitors in service with the U . S . Navy , including " Puritan " , , and , be used as forts near Key West in order to make it into " an American Gibraltar " . The Spanish – American War of 1898 and the Panama Canal ( under construction in 1910 ) had caused Key West ' s military importance to rise because of its geographical location . It was pointed out that the defenses of Fort Zachary Taylor on the island were not enough , as ships could sit seven miles south of the fort ( outside the range of its guns ) and shell Key West . As such , the proposal advocated the placement of monitors in strategic locations around Key West . Dykes of " piling , rock and riprap " would then be constructed around the ships . Water inside of these dykes would be pumped out to be replaced by dirt , creating an artificial island that was a " complete , modern double - turreted fort " . She was struck from the Navy List 27 February 1918 and , with the submarine USS " Plunger " ( SS - 2 ) on board , was one of several vessels sold on 26 January 1922 , to J . G . Hitner and W . F . Cutler of Philadelphia .