USS ''Kearsarge'' (1898)

By Crusader1307

Named after the famous American Civil War Union Sloop-of-War that sunk the CSS "Alabama", the new "Kearsarge" was a pre-Dreadnought-Class Battleship, laid down in 1896 and completed in 1898. She was finished after the end of The Spanish-American War, and therefore saw no War Service. Home Ported in Norfolk, Virginia - The "Kearsarge" was 11,500 tons and 375-feet long.she stood some 72-feet high. Powered by twin screws, her 5 boilers could generate 8,200HP.Coupled with her dual vertical expanding steam engines, "Kearsarge" could achieve 17-knots. Her armament was formidable as well. She mounted  (4) 8-inch Guns, (14) 5-inch Guns, (20) 6-Pounder Cannon, (8) 1-Pound Cannon and (4) Torpedoes. She crewed about 530 men. "Kearsarge" was heavily armored, with plating throughout her structure that ranged from 5-inches to 18-inches. She was assigned to The Atlantic Squadron briefly, before joining President Theodore Roosevelt's vaunted "Great White Fleet" on it's  "World Tour". She also represented The US Government when they took formal possession of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "Kearsarge" supported USMC actions against the Bandit Pancho Villa in Veracruz, Mexico (1915). She was basically a Coastal Defense Ship of The US during World War I. After The War, she served as a Training Ship to The US Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland). During World War II, she was renovated as a Crane Ship, and assigned to the West Coast of America. She remained in thus role until her decommissioning in 1955, when she was broken up for scrap.