USS Saint Paul ( SP - 1643 ) The first USS " Saint Paul " ( SP - 1643 ) was a cruiser in the United States Navy . She was named for the capital of Minnesota . " Saint Paul " was launched on 10 April 1895 by William Cramp & Sons , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , as a steel passenger liner ; chartered for United States Navy service as an auxiliary cruiser from her owner , International Navigation Company , by a board appointed on 12 March 1898 ; and commissioned on 20 April 1898 for Spanish - American War service , Captain Charles D . Sigsbee in command . Service history . Spanish - American War . Departing Philadelphia on 5 May 1898 , " Saint Paul " s first assignment was to cruise in search of Admiral Cervera ' s squadron between Morant Point , Jamaica , and western Haiti . She captured the British collier " Restormel " — bound for Cuba with a critical cargo of Cardiff coal — on 25 May and sent her into Key West under a prize crew . She cruised off Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo Bay into mid - June , then sailed to join the force blockading San Juan , Puerto Rico . " Saint Paul " arrived off San Juan on the morning of 22 June . Shortly after midday , in the 2nd battle of San Juan , the Spanish cruiser , emerged from the harbor and , remaining under protection of shore batteries , opened fire on " Saint Paul " at long range without success . " Isabel II " was joined shortly by the destroyer , which attempted to close " Saint Paul " to launch torpedoes . " Saint Paul " took " Terror " under heavy fire , scoring at least one direct hit which heavily damaged the destroyer . " Terror " gave up the attack and returned to port , followed by " Isabel II " . " Saint Paul " was relieved by off San Juan on the 26th and made for New York to coal . " Saint Paul " spent the remainder of her Spanish - American War service as a transport , operating for 48 days in July – August as a War Department vessel . She landed troops at Siboney , Cuba , and Arroyo , Puerto Rico , subsequently returning soldiers from Guantanamo Bay to New York through 15 August . Entering the Cramp shipyard on 22 August for reconversion to mercantile service , " Saint Paul " was decommissioned on 2 September and returned to her owner the same day . World War I . " Saint Paul " was again taken over for wartime service on 27 October 1917 . Operated by the United States Shipping Board as a transport on the War Department account , she retained her merchant crew and carried a naval armed guard on board . She made twelve voyages between New York and Liverpool , England . She was transferred to the Navy account in April 1918 ; designated SP - 1643 ; and overhauled at New York . Then , while being towed to her berth from dry dock on 28 April , she capsized in the North River . Righted on 11 September , she was subsequently turned over to the Commandant , 3rd Naval District , on 17 October . " Saint Paul " entered the New York Navy Yard the following day , but World War I ' s end led to cancellation of plans to use the ship for carrying troops . Post - war . Placed in temporary commission on 14 January 1919 for the purpose of fixing responsibility for her care outside of the Navy Yard , " Saint Paul " soon began reconversion for mercantile service . Returned to her owner on 24 March 1919 , " Saint Paul " was scrapped in Germany in 1923 .