View source for USS Porter (TB-6)

{{short description|Torpedo boat of the United States Navy}}
{{other ships|USS Porter}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[Image:USS Porter (TB-6), October 3 1897.jpg|300px|USS ''Porter'' (TB-6), October 3, 1897.]]
|Ship caption= USS ''Porter'' (TB-6), October 3, 1897.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1912}}
|Ship name=''Porter''
|Ship namesake=*[[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]] [[David Porter (naval officer)|David Porter]]
*[[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[David Dixon Porter]]

|Ship ordered= 2 March 1895
|Ship builder= [[Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.]], [[Bristol, Rhode Island]]
|Ship laid down= February 1896
|Ship launched= 9 September 1896
|Ship acquired=
|Ship sponsor=Miss Agnes M. Herreshoff
|Ship commissioned=20 February 1897
|Ship decommissioned=1912
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 6 November 1912
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honors=
|Ship identification=TB-6
|Ship fate= Sold, 30 December 1912
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/tb/050306.htm | title=USS Porter (TB-6) | publisher=Navsource.org | access-date=July 9, 2015}}</ref>
|Ship class= {{sclass|Porter|torpedo boat}}
|Ship displacement= {{convert|165|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="congress" />
|Ship length={{convert|175|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|17|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|4|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}} (mean)<ref name="congress">{{cite journal |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mZEqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA762 |title= Table 10 - Ships on Navy List June 30, 1919 |journal= Congressional Serial Set |publisher= U.S. Government Printing Office |year= 1921 |page= 714 }}</ref>
|Ship power=*3 × [[Normand boiler]]s
*{{convert|3200|ihp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*vertical quadruple expansion engines
*2 × [[screw propeller]]s
|Ship speed=*{{convert|29|kn|lk=in}}
*{{convert|28.63|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} (Speed on [[Sea trial|Trial]])<ref name="congress" />
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship complement= 32 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × [[QF 1-pounder pom-pom|1-pounder ({{convert|37|mm|in|2|abbr=on}}) guns]]
*3 × [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (3x1)
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Porter'' (Torpedo Boat No. 6/TB-6)''' was a [[torpedo boat]], the first of her class, launched in 1896, served during the [[Spanish–American War]], and struck in 1912. She was the first Navy ship named for Commodore [[David Porter (naval officer)|David Porter]], and his son, Admiral [[David Dixon Porter]].

''Porter'' was laid down in February 1896 by [[Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.]], [[Bristol, Rhode Island]]: launched on 9 September 1896, sponsored by Miss Agnes M. Herreshoff; and commissioned on 20 February 1897 at Newport, R.I.

==Service history==
{{stack|[[File:Uss porter 1898.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Illustration of ''Porter'' at sea, 1898.]]}}
===Pre-Spanish–American War===
''Porter'' sailed to Washington, D.C., on 27 February 1897 for inspection and was further examined on 16&ndash;20 March at New York by the Chief of the [[Bureau of Navigation]]. She operated between [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] and [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]]; then visited New York from 15 July-3 October before getting underway for her winter port, [[Charleston, South Carolina]]. ''Porter'' cruised in southern waters until 8 December and then proceeded to [[Key West]] where she was stationed from 1–22 January 1898.

===Spanish–American War===
''Porter'' arrived on 26 January at [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] on 26 January for a visit, but she was ordered to return to Key West on 6 March because of the tense situation in [[Cuba]]. When the United States declared war upon Spain, she was already patrolling the waters off Key West and the [[Dry Tortugas]]. Porter returned to Key West on 22 March for replenishment on 22 March.

''Porter'' departed Key West with the [[North Atlantic Fleet]] on 22 April for the [[blockade]] of the north coast of Cuba. She soon made contact with the enemy, capturing the Spanish schooners ''Sofia'' and ''Matilda'' on 23–24 April. After refueling at Key West from 2–7 May, ''Porter'' resumed blockade duty off [[Cap-Haïtien]], [[Haiti]] keeping a watchful eye out for [[Pascual Cervera y Topete|Cervera]]'s squadron. She participated in the three-hour bombardment of [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] on 12–13 May, along with the nine ships of Rear Admiral [[William T. Sampson|W. T. Sampson]]'s fleet. During the attack, ''Porter'' maintained a close position under the batteries with the cruiser {{USS|Detroit|C-10|2}}, but she was not hit.

''Porter'' returned to the blockade of the north coast of [[Hispaniola]] on 13–14 May, cruising off [[Samaná Bay]], [[Santo Domingo]] and off [[Porto Plata]], [[Haiti]]. After a brief interval at Key West and Mobile from 18–25 May, she joined [[Winfield Scott Schley|Commodore Schley]]'s squadron off [[Santiago de Cuba]] from 1–11 June, where it had bottled up the elusive Spanish warships. ''Porter'' came under heavy fire on 7 June while silencing the shore batteries, but was undamaged. Later, she supported the Marine beachhead at [[Guantánamo Bay|Guantanamo Bay]] from 11–17 June. ''Porter'' took up her station off Santiago on 17 June and again on 21–22 June when she bombarded the Socapa battery during the landings at [[Daiquirí]]. She continued patrolling off Guantanamo until 9 July, when she left for New York via [[Key West]]. Upon her arrival at the [[New York Navy Yard]] on 19 July, ''Porter'' was placed in reduced commission and decommissioned on 5 November 1898.

===Post-war===
She recommissioned on 10 October 1899 at New York and served as a training ship for firemen at Newport, [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] and [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]]. ''Porter'' decommissioned 21 December 1900 at New York. She was put in reserve commission in late 1901 at Norfolk with the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla and continued this duty through 1907.

''Porter'' recommissioned at Norfolk on 31 January 1908, and was ordered to [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] on 21 February. As flagship of the 3rd Torpedo Flotilla, she engaged in torpedo runs in [[St. Joseph Bay]], [[Florida]] from 4 March-22 April. ''Porter'' acted as naval escort to the remains of Governor [[DeWitt Clinton]] in New York harbor on 29 May 1908 before returning to the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla at Norfolk on 1 July.

''Porter'' recommissioned on 14 May 1909 at [[Charleston, South Carolina]], Lt. [[Harold R. Stark]] in command, and was assigned to the 3rd Division, Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla. She proceeded to [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]] on 10 June for fleet exercises that lasted until 5 August. '' Porter'' departed on 28 August for Hampton Roads and the Southern Drill Grounds, later joining the fleet at New York for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration from 1–10 October. She was reassigned to the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla at Charleston on 14 November, where she remained until October 1911.

On 30 October 1911, ''Porter'' sailed for New York on where she took part in the fleet naval review for President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] on 2 November. The President had ordered the mobilization "to test the preparedness of the fleet and the efficiency of our organization on the ships in the yards." Afterward, ''Porter'' returned to the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla at [[Philadelphia]]. She was mobilized in October 1912 for another review at New York which was inspected by the President on 15 October.

=== Fate ===
''Porter'' was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 6 November 1912 and was sold to Andrew Olsen on 30 December 1912 at New York.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite journal |last1=Eger|first1=Christopher L.|title=Hudson Fulton Celebration, Part II |journal=Warship International|date=March 2021|volume=LVIII |issue=1 |pages=58–81 |issn=0043-0374}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/porter-i.html}}
*''Additional technical data from'' {{cite book | last = Gardiner | first = Robert | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press | year = 1979 | isbn = 0-85177-133-5 | page = 160}}

==External links==
{{commons category|USS Porter (TB-6)}}
*{{navsource|05/tb/050306|Porter}}

{{Porter class torpedo boat}}
{{United States torpedo boats}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter (TB-6)}}
[[Category:Torpedo boats of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bristol, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:1896 ships]]
[[Category:Spanish–American War naval ships of the United States]]