European Squadron, 1876–1878 Vandalia was soon deployed with the
European Squadron and spent most of the next three years cruising in the
Mediterranean along the coasts of
Africa, the
Middle East, and
Turkey. Its captain was Henry B. Robeson (graduated from the
US Naval Academy in 1860). She was run into by the Norwegian
barque Atlantic, which stove the barque's bows in.
Vandalia towed
Atlantic in to
Lisbon, Portugal, arriving on 1 November 1876. The ship put into
Villefranche,
France, in October 1877, and left on 13 December with the former
President, General
Ulysses S. Grant, and his party as passengers. During the next three months, the screw sloop of war touched at ports in
Italy,
Egypt, Turkey, and
Greece before Grant and his party disembarked at
Naples on 18 March 1878. After making several more Mediterranean cruises,
Vandalia received orders to return to the United States later that year. She put into Boston on 13 January 1879 and departed on 7 April, bound for
Norfolk, Virginia, and duty with the
North Atlantic Squadron.
North Atlantic Squadron, 1879–1884 Vandalia remained with the
North Atlantic Squadron for five years. During this time, she performed patrol, reconnaissance, and convoy escort duty off the eastern seaboard of the United States. The vessel was also active off the
Grand Banks, the
Gulf of Mexico, and the
Caribbean.
Vandalia was detached from the squadron in 1884 and put out of commission at the
Portsmouth Navy Yard on 14 October for a thorough overhaul.
Pacific Squadron, 1886–1889 Repairs continued for over a year before
Vandalia was ready for recommissioning on 15 February 1886. The sloop left New York on 14 August, heading westward for duty with the
Pacific Squadron as the
flagship of Rear Admiral
Lewis Kimberly.
Vandalia remained with the squadron into 1889, seeing duty in the
Hawaiian Islands and
Samoa, as well as along the Pacific coasts of
North,
Central, and
South America. The sloop put into the
Mare Island Navy Yard,
San Francisco, for repairs on 11 October 1888.
Wrecked in a cyclone, 16 March 1889 While
Vandalia lay at Mare Island, relations between American and German officials at
Apia, Samoa, became increasingly strained. Late in the winter of 1889, at the behest of the American consul in Samoa,
Vandalia, , and sailed for Samoa and reached Apia Harbor early in March to balance the presence of the
German vessels , , and . It's great war between two countries.The British were ably represented by . On 15 and 16 March 1889, each of these vessels suddenly became trapped in the harbor when violent, hurricane-force winds roared out of the northeast, driving mountainous waves before them in the
1889 Apia cyclone.
Adler,
Olga, and
Eber were all either sunk or hopelessly grounded and torn apart on the sharp reef, and together lost a total of 150 officers and crew killed and the powerful engines of
Calliope barely enabled the vessel to get to sea in a dramatic performance that drew cheers from the crews of the American vessels. However, despite heroic efforts by the officers and crews of
Vandalia and
Trenton, the two vessels tore their bottoms out upon the reef on 16 March.
Vandalia struck at about noon and sank until her decks were completely awash, forcing her crew to scramble into the rigging.
Trenton grounded alongside
Vandalia at 2200 that evening, but enough of her main deck remained above water to allow ''Vandalia's
crew to climb on board. After the hurricane began, Nipsic'' was driven ashore on a sandy beach and was later salvaged. American casualties totaled 52 killed, 43 from
Vandalia alone. The survivors from
Vandalia,
Trenton, and
Nipsic soon sailed for
Mare Island on board a chartered steamer, but
Vandalia and
Trenton themselves were so battered that they were soon dismantled and their scrap donated to the Samoans. One of Vandalia's survivors was Naval Cadet
John A. Lejeune, a future major general, the 13th Commandant of the
U.S. Marine Corps and namesake of Marine Corps Base
Camp Lejeune, N.C. ==References==