Full-screen images are linked from the images in the text below.
Statistics:
Displacement: 10,288 tons
Length: 350'11"
Beam: 69'3"
Draft: 24'
Speed: 15 knots
Complement: 473
Armament: Four 13" guns; eight 8" guns; four 6" guns; twenty 6-pounders; six 1-pounders
Text from The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships published by the Naval Historical Center
The first Indiana (BB-1) was laid down 7 May 1891 by William
Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia; launched 28 February 1893; sponsored
by Miss Jessie Miller, daughter of the Attorney General of the
United States; and commissioned 20 November 1895, Captain Robley
D. Evans in command.
Following fitting out at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Indiana trained
off the coast of New England. This duty continued until the
outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, when Indiana
formed part of Admiral Sampson's squadron. The 10 ships sailed
south to intercept Cervera's Spanish squadron, known to be en
route to the Caribbean. Indiana took part in bombardment of San
Juan 12 May 1898, and returned to Key West with the squadron to
guard Havana 15 May. After it was discovered that Cervera was at
Santiago, Sampson joined Schley there 1 June and took up the
blockade.
In late June, Army units arrived and were landed for an assault
on Santiago. Cervera saw that his situation was desperate and
began his gallant dash out of Santiago 3 July 1898, hoping to
outrun the American blockaders. Indiana did not join in the
initial chase because of her extreme eastern position on the
blockade, but was near the harbor entrance when the Spanish destroyers
Pluton and Furor emerged. In a short time both ships were
destroyed by Indiana's guns and those of the other ships.
Meanwhile the remaining Spanish vessels were sunk or run ashore,
in one of the two major naval engagements of the war.
Indiana returned to her previous pattern of training exercises
and fleet maneuvers after the war, and made practice cruises for
midshipmen of the Naval Academy before decommissioning 29
December 1903.
The battleship recommissioned at New York Navy Yard 9 January
1906. During this phase of her career, Indiana served with the
Naval Academy Practice Squadron, sailing to Northern Europe and
the Mediterranean. At Queenstown, Ireland, she fired a 21-gun
salute 22 June 1911 in honor of the coronation of King George V.
This important work in training the Navy's future leaders ended
in 1914 and she decommissioned at Philadelphia 23 May 1914.
Indiana recommissioned a second time 24 May 1917, and served
through World I as a training ship for gun crews off
Tomkinsville, N.Y., and in the York River, Va. She
decommissioned at Philadelphia 31 January 1919.
The name Indiana
was canceled 29 March 1919 and she was reclassified Coast
Battleship Number 1 so that the name could be assigned to a
newly authorized battleship. She was used as a target in an
important series of tests designed to determine the
effectiveness of aerial bombs and was sunk in November 1920. Her
hulk was sold for scrap 19 March 1924.
Also see USS Indiana (BB 58)
-USN-
Updated: 19 May 2000
Return to the Battleship List
