USS Marblehead ( C - 11 ) The second USS " Marblehead " ( C - 11 / PG - 27 ) was an unarmored cruiser in the United States Navy which served in the Spanish - American War and World War I . " Marblehead " was laid down in October 1890 by City Point Works , Boston , Massachusetts ; launched on 11 August 1892 ; sponsored by Mrs . C . F . Allen ; and commissioned on 2 April 1894 , Commander Charles O ' Neil in command . She was named for the seaport Marblehead , Massachusetts . Service history . North Atlantic Station , 1894 . Assigned to the North Atlantic Station , " Marblehead " departed New York on 6 June 1894 for the Caribbean in response to a change of government in Nicaragua . Arriving Bluefields on 19 June , the ship found that city to be the point of greatest danger . On 7 July , in response to dispatches from the American consul , she put ashore a landing party of Marines and bluejackets to protect American interests . Reinforced by a second party on 31 July , this force remained ashore until 7 August . Five days later , " Marblehead " departed Bluefields to continue cruising the Caribbean , showing the flag in Latin American waters until 26 November , when she departed Port Royal , Jamaica , for Hampton Roads , Virginia , arriving on 6 December . European Station , 1895 - 1897 . The cruiser stood out from Norfolk 4 March 1895 for duty on the European Station . Sailing via the Azores , the ship arrived Gibraltar on the 31st . During April and May , she cruised the Mediterranean , spending much time on patrol in Syrian waters , and then steamed for Germany to represent the U . S . at the opening of the Kiel Canal on 20 June . For the next five months , the ship cruised along the coast of western Europe and in the Mediterranean steaming over 11 , 000 miles ( 18 , 000 km ) and visiting more than 40 foreign ports . " Marblehead " then returned to the U . S . , anchoring at Tompkinsville , New York , 23 November 1896 . On 1 February 1897 , the ship was again assigned to the North Atlantic Station , and for the remainder of the year cruised the east coast and the Caribbean in training . Spanish - American War , 1898 . At the outbreak of the Spanish - American War , " Marblehead " was at Key West , Florida . Immediately sailing for Cuban waters , she arrived off Havana on 23 April 1898 and then proceeded to Cienfuegos where she shelled enemy vessels and fortifications on the 29th , in support of the invasion of Guantánamo Bay . After joining the blockading squadron , she cut the cables off Cienfuegos on 11 May , when many of her sailors and Marines received Medals of Honor . She then patrolled off Santiago de Cuba until the beginning of June . In company with the auxiliary cruiser , " Marblehead " captured the lower part of Guantánamo Bay as a base for the fleet 7 June , and on the 10th supported the landing of a battalion of Marines there . Continuing operations in the bay , she helped the pre - dreadnought battleship destroy the Spanish fort on Cayo del Toro on 15 June . The ship remained in Cuban waters until 2 September , when she sailed for the St . Lawrence River on 20 October to participate in ceremonies opening the Champlain monument in Quebec . Pacific Squadron , 1899 - 1916 . She repaired at Boston Navy Yard from 2 November 1898 – 9 February 1899 , and , following a brief cruise to the Caribbean , proceeded through the Straits of Magellan 16 June to join the Pacific Squadron on 4 July . She cruised off the coast of South America , Mexico , and California until she decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard on 30 April 1900 . " Marblehead " recommissioned on 10 November 1902 to devote the next four years to cruising along the west coast of North and South America , from Alaska to Chile on training and protocol missions . From October 1903 - March 1904 , she served as flagship of Rear Admiral Henry Glass , Commander of the Pacific Squadron . The cruiser decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard on 1 October 1906 and remained at the yard until 31 March 1910 , when she was loaned to the California Naval Militia as a training ship . She was placed in commission in reserve on 22 July 1911 , and in 1916 was turned over to the Oregon Naval Militia as training ship for that state . World War I , 1917 - 1919 . " Marblehead " was again placed in full commission 6 April 1917 , at the navy yard , Puget Sound , Washington , and on 4 May was ordered to the Pacific Patrol Force . She was employed on convoy , patrol , and survey duty , operating off Mexico and in search of possible German raiders in the California area until 11 June 1918 , when she proceeded via the Panama Canal to Key West for duty with the American patrol detachment . Arriving Key West 22 June , the ship spent the remainder of World War I in the Caribbean , engaged in escort and patrol duty . Detached from patrol duty on 4 December , the veteran cruiser steamed to join Division 2 , Pacific Fleet . She arrived Mare Island on 17 February 1919 , and decommissioned on 21 August . Reclassified PG - 27 in July 1920 , " Marblehead " was sold on 5 August 1921 .