Construction ceremonies for
Connecticut, 29 September 1906
Connecticut was ordered on 1 July 1902. On 15 October 1902, she was awarded to the
New York Naval Shipyard. She was
laid down on 10 March 1903, and
launched on 29 September 1904. A crowd of over 30,000 people attended the launch, as did many of the Navy's ships. The
battleships , , , , , , , and were at the ceremony, along with the
protected cruisers and and the auxiliary cruiser . Three attempts to sabotage the ship were discovered in 1904. On 31 March, rivets on the keel plates were found bored through. The ship's
watertight compartments and pumps prevented her from sinking, and all damage was repaired. The incidents prompted the Navy to post armed guards at the shipyard, and an overnight watch was kept by a Navy tug manned by
Marines who had orders to shoot to kill any unauthorized person attempting to approach the ship. As
Connecticut was only 55% complete when she was launched, missing most of her upper works, protection, machinery and armament,
Connecticut sailed out of New York for the first time on 15 December 1906, becoming the first ship in the US Navy to ever go to sea without a
sea trial. She first journeyed south to the
Virginia Capes, where she conducted a variety of training exercises; this was followed by a
shakedown cruise and battle practice off Cuba and Puerto Rico. During the cruise, she participated in a search for the missing steamer
Ponce. On 13 January 1907,
Connecticut ran onto a
reef while entering the harbor at
Culebra Island. The Navy did not release any information about the grounding until press dispatches from
San Juan, carrying news of the incident reached the mainland on 23 January. Even then, Navy authorities in San Juan claimed to be ignorant of the situation, The Navy amended this the next day, releasing a statement that
Connecticut had been only slightly damaged and had returned to her shakedown cruise. However, damage to the ship was much more serious than the Navy admitted; in contrast to an official statement saying that
Connecticut had only "touched" the rocks, she actually had run full upon the reef when traversing "a course well marked with buoys" in "broad daylight" and did enough damage to probably require a
dry docking. This apparent attempt at a cover-up was enough for the
United States Congress to consider an official inquiry into the matter. in 1906 or 1907. The boat from which this photo was taken is about to be swamped by the
bow wave emanating from the
battleship. On 21 March, the Navy announced that Swift would be
court-martialed for "through negligence, causing a vessel to run upon a rock" and "neglect of duty in regard to the above". Along with the officer of the deck at the time of the accident,
Lieutenant Harry E. Yarnell, Swift faced a court martial of seven rear admirals, a captain, and a lieutenant. He was sentenced to one year's suspension from duty, later reduced to nine months; after about six months, the sentence was remitted on 24 October. However, he was not assigned command of another ship.
Connecticut steamed back to
Hampton Roads after this, arriving on 16 April; when she arrived, Rear Admiral
Robley D. Evans, commander of the
Atlantic Fleet, transferred his flag from
Maine to
Connecticut, President
Theodore Roosevelt opened the
Jamestown Exposition on 25 April, and
Connecticut was named as the official host of the vessels that were visiting from other countries. Sailors and marines from the ship took part in various events ashore, and foreign dignitaries, along with the governors of
Virginia and
Rhode Island, were hosted aboard the ship on 29 April. Evans closed the Exposition on 4 May, on the quarterdeck of
Connecticut. On 10 June,
Connecticut joined in the
Presidential Fleet Review; she left three days later for an overhaul in the
New York Naval Yard. After the overhaul,
Connecticut conducted maneuvers off Hampton Roads, and target practice off Cape Cod. She was ordered back to the New York Naval Yard, once again on 6 September, for a refit that would make her suitable for use as flagship of the
Great White Fleet.
Flagship of the Great White Fleet in 1907 The cruise of the Great White Fleet was conceived as a way to demonstrate American military power, particularly to Japan. Tensions had begun to rise between the United States and Japan after the latter's victory in the
Russo-Japanese War in 1905, particularly over racist opposition to Japanese immigration to the United States. The press in both countries began to call for war, and Roosevelt hoped to use the demonstration of naval might to deter Japanese aggression.
Connecticut left the New York Naval Yard, on 5 December 1907, and arrived the next day in Hampton Roads, where the Great White Fleet would assemble with her as their flagship. After an eight-day period known as "Navy Farewell Week" during which festivities were held for the departing sailors, and all 16 battleships took on full loads of coal, stores, and ammunition, the ships were ready to depart. After steaming past
Cape Hatteras, the fleet headed for the Caribbean. They approached Puerto Rico, on 20 December, caught sight of
Venezuela on 22 December, and later dropped anchor in
Port of Spain, the capital of
Trinidad, making the first port visit of the Great White Fleet. With the torpedo boat flotilla that had left Hampton Roads, two weeks previously, and five
colliers to fill the coal bunkers of the fleet, Port of Spain had a total of 32 US Navy ships in the harbor, making it "[resemble] a US Navy base". After spending Christmas in Trinidad, the ships departed for
Rio de Janeiro, on 29 December. and "thousands of wildly cheering Brazilians lined the shore"; 10 days of ceremonies, games, and festivities followed, and the stopover was so successful that the visit was the cause of a major boost in
US–Brazilian relations. The fleet left Rio on 22 January 1908, still heading south, this time bound for the coaling stop of
Punta Arenas, Chile. Four cruisers from Argentina,
San Martin,
Buenos Ayres,
9 De Julio, and
Pueyrredon, all under the command of Admiral Hipolito Oliva, sailed to salute the American ships on their way to Chile. The fleet arrived at Punta Arenas, on 1 February, and spent five days in the town of 14,000. Heading north, they followed the coastline of Chile, passing in review of Chilean President
Pedro Montt on 14 February, outside
Valparaíso, and they were escorted to
Callao, in Peru, by the cruiser
Coronel Bolognesi on 19 and 20 February. Peru's president,
José Pardo, came aboard
Connecticut during this time, as Rear Admiral Evans was quite ill and could not go ashore. After taking on coal, the ships steamed for Mexico on 29 February, passing in review of Pardo on board the cruiser
Almirante Grau before leaving. Arriving in Mexico, on 20 March, the fleet underwent three weeks of target practice. Rear Admiral Evans was relieved of command during this time, as he was completely bedridden and in constant pain. To get him medical attention,
Connecticut set sail north at full speed on 30 March. She was met two days later by the schooner , which took the admiral to a hospital.
Connecticut traveled back south to rejoin the fleet, On 5 May, Evans returned to
Connecticut in time for the fleet's sailing through the
Golden Gate on 6 May, Over one million people watched the 42-ship fleet sail into the bay. After a grand parade through
San Francisco, a review of the fleet by Secretary of the Navy
Victor H. Metcalf, a gala reception, the fleet left San Francisco, for
Seattle, with Rear Admiral
Charles Stillman Sperry as commander. The ships all underwent refits before the next leg of the voyage. The fleet left the West Coast again on 7 July, bound for Hawaii, which it reached on 16 July. Leaving Hawaii, on 22 July, the ships next stopped at
Auckland, Sydney, and
Melbourne. High seas and winds hampered the ships for part of the voyage to New Zealand, but they arrived on 9 August; festivities, parades, balls, and games were staples of the visits to each city. The highlight of the austral visit was a parade of 12,000 US Navy,
Royal Navy, and
Commonwealth naval and military personnel in front of 250,000 people. (on the 12-inch gun turret at right) addresses the crew of
Connecticut. After stopping at
Manila, in the Philippines, the fleet set course for
Yokohama, Japan. They encountered a typhoon on the way on 12 October, but no ships were lost; the fleet was only delayed 24 hours. After three Japanese
warships and six merchantmen escorted the Americans in, festivities began. The celebrations culminated in the
Uraga, where
Commodore Matthew C. Perry had
anchored a little more than 50 years prior. The ships then departed on 25 October. After three weeks of exercises in the Philippines'
Subic Bay, the ships sailed south on 1 December, for
Singapore; they did not stop there, however, passing outside the city on 6 December. Continuing on, they stopped at
Colombo, for coal from 12 to 20 December, before sailing on for the
Suez Canal. It took three days for all 16 battleships to traverse the canal, even though it was closed to all other traffic. They then headed for a coaling stop at
Port Said,
Egypt, after which the fleet split up into
individual divisions to call on different ports in the Mediterranean. The First Division, of which
Connecticut was a part, originally planned to visit Italy, before moving on to
Villefranche, but
Connecticut and
Illinois were quickly dispatched to southern Italy, on a humanitarian mission when news of the
1908 Messina earthquake reached the fleet. Seamen from the ships helped clear debris and unload supplies from the US Navy refrigerated supply ship ; Admiral Sperry received the personal thanks of King
Victor Emmanuel III for their assistance. After port calls were concluded, the ships headed for
Gibraltar, where they found a conglomerate of warships from many different nations awaiting them "with decks manned and horns blaring": the battleships and with the cruiser and the Second Cruiser Squadron represented Great Britain's Royal Navy, battleships and with cruisers , and represented the
Imperial Russian Navy, and various gunboats represented France and the Netherlands. After coaling for five days, the ships got under way and left for home on 6 February 1909. After weathering a few storms, the ships met nine of their fellow US Navy ships five days out of Hampton Roads: four battleships (
Maine, , , and —the latter being the only sister of
Connecticut to not make the cruise), two armored cruisers, and three scout cruisers.
Connecticut then led all of these warships around Tail-of-the-Horseshoe Lightship on 22 February to pass in review of President Roosevelt, who was then on the presidential yacht anchored off
Old Point Comfort, ending a trip. Roosevelt boarded the ship after she anchored and gave a short speech, saying, "You've done the trick. Other nations may do as you have done, but they'll follow you."
Pre-World War I Following her return from the world cruise,
Connecticut continued to serve as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet, interrupted only by a March 1909 overhaul at the New York Navy Yard. After rejoining the fleet, she cruised the East Coast from her base at
Norfolk, Virginia. For the rest of 1909, the battleship conducted training and participated in ceremonial observances, such as the
Hudson–Fulton Celebration. In early January 1910,
Connecticut left for Cuban waters and stayed there until late March when she returned to New York for a refit. After several months conducting maneuvers and battle practice off the
New England coast, she left for Europe on 2 November to go on a midshipman training cruise. and stayed there until 17 March, when she departed for Hampton Roads.
Connecticut was the leader of the ships that passed in review during the Presidential Fleet Review in New York, on 2 November; she then remained in New York, until 12 January 1912, when she returned to Guantánamo Bay. During a March overhaul at the
Philadelphia Naval Yard, the battleship relinquished her role as flagship to the armored cruiser . After the overhaul's completion,
Connecticuts activities through the end of 1912 included practicing with torpedoes in
Fort Pond Bay, conducting fleet maneuvers, and battle practice off
Block Island and the Virginia Capes. Stopping in New York,
Connecticut conducted training exercises in Guantánamo Bay from 13 February to 20 March; during this time (on the 28th), she once again became the Atlantic Fleet flagship for a brief and final time when she served in the interim as Rear Admiral
Charles J. Badger transferred his flag from to . After taking on stores in Philadelphia,
Connecticut sailed for Mexico and arrived on 22 April; she was to patrol the waters near
Tampico and
Vera Cruz, protecting American citizens and interests during disturbances there and in
Haiti. in 1911 On 22 June 1912,
Connecticut departed Mexican waters for Philadelphia, where she was dry docked for three months of repairs. Upon their completion,
Connecticut conducted gunnery practice off the Virginia Capes. On 23 October,
Connecticut became the flagship of the Fourth Battleship Division. After the division passed in review before Secretary of the Navy
George von Lengerke Meyer on the 25th,
Connecticut left for
Genoa, Italy, where she remained until 30 November. She took refugees from Mexico to Galveston and carried officers of the Army and representative from the
Red Cross back in the opposite direction. She remained there until 31 July, when she embarked 433 men from the Second Regiment, First Brigade, of the United States Marine Corps for transport to Port-au-Prince, where they were put ashore on 5 August, as part of the
US occupation of Haiti.
Connecticut delivered supplies to amphibious troops in
Cap-Haïtien, on 5 September and remained near Haiti, for the next few months, supporting landing parties ashore, including detachments of Marines and sailors from
Connecticut under the command of
Major Smedley Butler. After departing Haiti,
Connecticut arrived in Philadelphia, on 15 December, and was placed into the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
World War I As part of the US response to Germany's
unrestricted submarine warfare,
Connecticut was recommissioned on 3 October 1916. Two days later, Admiral
Herbert O. Dunn made her the flagship of the Fifth Battleship Division, transferring his flag from
Minnesota.
Connecticut operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean until the United States entered
World War I on 6 April 1917. For the duration of the war,
Connecticut was based in
York River, Virginia. On 6 January, she left Hampton Roads, for
Brest, France, where she embarked 1,000 troops. After bringing them to New York, arriving on 2 February, On 23 June 1919, after having returned over 4,800 men, and Vice Admiral Jones transferred his flag from
Connecticut to his new flagship, . they arrived at the Navy Yard there on 11 September.
Connecticut departed Philadelphia, for California, on 4 October, for duty with the Pacific Fleet. After touching at San Diego, on 27 October, she arrived on 28 October, at
San Pedro, where Rear Admiral
H.O. Stickney designated her the flagship of Pacific Fleet Training. In June 1924, the
tug set a record for the largest tow by a single tug in history when she towed
Connecticut from Seattle to
Oakland, California, for scrapping. == Notes ==