USS Boston (1884)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Boston.

Career
Ordered:
Laid down:
Launched:	4 December 1884
Commissioned:	2 May 1887
Decommissioned:
Fate:	intentionally sunk 8 April 1946
General Characteristics
Displacement:	3,189 t
Length:	283 ft (86 m)
Beam:	42 ft (12.8 m)
Draft:	17 ft (5.2 m)
Speed:	13 knots (24 km/h)
Complement:	284 officers and men
Armament:	2 × 8-inch (203 mm) guns, 6 × 6-inch (152 mm) guns

The fifth USS Boston, a protected cruiser, was launched 4 December 1884 by John Roach and Sons, Chester, Pennsylvania, and commissioned 2 May 1887, Captain Francis M. Ramsay in command.

Boston, being the second cruiser of the New Navy completed, was not ready for active service until 1888. She then made a cruise to Guatemala and Haiti to protect American citizens. She joined the Squadron of Evolution 30 September 1889 and cruised to the Mediterranean and South America (7 December 1889 – 29 July 1890), and along the east coast in 1891. Boston departed New York 24 October 1891 for the Pacific, via Cape Horn, arriving at San Francisco 2 May 1892. Except for a cruise that observed the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii (11 August 1892 – 10 October 1893), she remained on the west coast until laid up at Mare Island Navy Yard 4 November 1893.

Recommissioned 15 November 1895, Boston joined the Asiatic Squadron at Yokohama, Japan, 25 February 1896. She remained in the Orient protecting American interests for the next four years and during the Spanish-American War took part in the Battle of Manila Bay (1 May 1898) and the capture of Manila (13 August 1898). She remained in the Philippines assisting in their pacification until 8 June 1899.

Boston returned to San Francisco 9 August 1899 and went out of commission at Mare Island Navy Yard 15 September 1899. She remained out of commission until 11 August 1902 and then rejoined the Pacific Squadron. During 16–25 June 1905 she helped represent the Navy at the Lewis and Clark Exposition at Portland, Oregon, and between 23 April and 10 May 1906 she helped care for the victims of the San Francisco earthquake and fire. She went out of commission again at Puget Sound Navy Yard 10 June 1907.

The USS Boston in drydock at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York in 1888.

From 15 June 1911 to September 1916, she served as a training vessel with the Oregon Naval Militia and was loaned to the Shipping Board (24 May 1917 – June 1918). On 18 June 1918, she was recommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard as a receiving ship and towed to Yerba Buena Island, California, where she served as a receiving ship until 1946. She was renamed Despatch 9 August 1940, thus freeing her original name for use on the new heavy cruiser Boston (CA-69). The old ship was reclassified IX-2, 17 February 1941. Despatch was towed to sea and sunk off San Francisco 8 April 1946.

See also

See USS Boston and USS Despatch for other ships of the same name.

External links

USS Boston circa 1891

• history.navy.mil/danfs/: USS Boston
• history.navy.mil/photos/: USS Boston
• navsource.org: USS Boston

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.