USS Vulcan ( 1884 ) USS " Vulcan " ( 1884 ) was an iron - hulled , schooner - rigged screw steamship acquired by the U . S . Navy for use as a repair ship during the Spanish - American War . The Navy ’ s first repair ship . " Chatham " — an iron - hulled , schooner - rigged screw steamship constructed at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , by the American Shipbuilding Co . - - was completed in 1884 and acquired by the Navy on 2 May 1898 from the Merchants ' and Miners ' Transportation Co . , of Baltimore , Maryland . Renamed " Vulcan " , the erstwhile merchantman underwent a metamorphosis to the Fleet ' s first repair ship . She was equipped with machine tools , forges , and foundries , and a large supply of widely varied stores . A large force of skilled mechanics rounded out her versatile crew . Commissioned on 31 May 1898 at the Boston Navy Yard , with Lt . Comdr . Ira Harria in command , " Vulcan " soon sailed for the Caribbean . " Vulcan ’ s " picket boat sails under inaccurate Cuban gunfire . After preceding via Newport News , Virginia , she arrived at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , on 1 July in time to be present during the North Atlantic Fleet ' s bombardment that day of the Spanish forts at Aquadores . The ship served in Cuban waters for the duration of the brief war with Spain and performed yeoman service . On one occasion , while out on nightly patrol , her picket boat , commanded by Naval Cadet Louis G . Miller , drew some 200 shots from Spanish troops ashore . The Spaniards ' fire — which the launch spiritedly returned — was ineffective ; and all hands returned safely to the ship . " Vulcan " repairs captured Spanish ships . On 3 July , the American Fleet met and soundly trounced a Spanish squadron off Santiago , Cuba . Almost as soon as the smoke of that battle had cleared , the American Navy began making plans to salvage the Spanish vessels . " Vulcan " performed salvage work on the heavily damaged Spanish ships " Infanta Maria Theresa " and " Cristobal Colon " . " Vulcan " , as a repair ship , declared a success by the Bureau of Steam . " Vulcan " remained in the Caribbean through the cessation of hostilities . Her services as the first ship of her type were exemplary and noteworthy . In the Bureau of Steam Engineering report for 1898 , " Vulcan ' s " performance was an " unqualified success and of great value in maintaining the efficiency of the fleet . " In fact , " Vulcan ' s " brief tour with the Fleet had proved to be so valuable to the Navy that the Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering recommended the acquisition of a second ship of her type to serve the ships of the U . S . Pacific Fleet . By the end of August , reports from the repair ship further indicated that she had made repairs to 63 ships and supplied stores to 60 . In addition , her " unusual facilities " and the 100 skilled mechanics on board enabled her to effect a wide variety of repairs — including hull work , gun mounts , dynamos , steam pipes , main piston rods for smaller ships , and " iron castings in considerable quantity . " In the fall , with her tour thus completed , " Vulcan " sailed north on 30 October and proceeded to Norfolk , Virginia . " Vulcan " decommissioned on completion of the War . After shifting to the League Island Navy Yard , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , in December 1898 , " Vulcan " was decommissioned there on 12 January 1899 and sold on 3 July of the same year to her original owner . Renamed " Chatham " , the ship served the Merchants ' and Miners ' Transportation Co . until 1911 when her name disappeared from the shipping registers .