USS Columbia (C-12)

History
Colorized picture of USS Columbia (C-12), c. 1890s
United States
Name:	Columbia
Namesake:	City of Columbia, South Carolina
Ordered:	30 June 1890
Awarded:	19 November 1890
Builder:	William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cost:	$2,725,000 (contract price of hull and machinery)
Laid down:	30 December 1890
Launched:	26 July 1892
Sponsored by:	Miss H. Morton
Completed:	19 May 1893
Acquired:	22 December 1893
Commissioned:	23 April 1894
Decommissioned:	21 August 1919
Renamed:	Old Columbia, 17 November 1921
Reclassified:	CA-16, 17 July 1920
Struck:	26 January 1922
Identification:	Hull symbol:C-12 Hull symbol:CA-16
Fate:	sold, 21 June 1922
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	Columbia-class protected cruiser
Displacement:	7,350 long tons (7,468 t) (standard) 8,270 long tons (8,403 t) (full load)
Length:	413 ft 1 in (125.91 m) oa 411 ft 7 in (125.45 m)pp
Beam:	58 ft 2 in (17.73 m)
Draft:	22 ft 7 in (6.88 m)
Installed power:	8 × Double-ended boilers, 2 × Single-ended boilers 21,000 ihp (16,000 kW)
Propulsion:	3 × vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines 2 × screws
Sail plan:	Schooner
Speed:	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) 22.80 knots (42.23 km/h; 26.24 mph) (Speed on Trial)
Complement:	45 officers 338 enlisted men
Armament:	1 × 8 in (200 mm)/40 caliber Mark 5 gun 2 × 6 in (150 mm)/40 guns 8 × 4 in (100 mm)/40 guns 12 × 6-pounder (57 mm (2.2 in)) guns saluting guns 4 × 1-pounder (37 mm (1.5 in)) guns 4 × gatling guns 4 × 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor:	Deck: 4 in (100 mm) (slope) 2 ¹⁄₂ in (64 mm) (flat) Conning Tower: 5 in (130 mm) Shields: 4 in (100 mm)
General characteristics (1914)
Armament:	3 × 6 in (150 mm)/45 caliber Mark 10 gun 8 × 4 in (102 mm)/40 guns 2 × 6-pounder (57 mm (2.2 in)) saluting guns
General characteristics (1920)
Armament:	3 × 6 in (150 mm)/45 caliber Mark 10 gun 4 × 4 in (102 mm)/40 guns 2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 anti-aircraft guns 2 × 3-pounder(47 mm (1.9 in)) saluting guns

The fourth USS Columbia (C-12/CA-16) was a protected cruiser in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War and World War I. She was the lead ship of her class of two cruisers; her sister ship was Minneapolis (C-13). The class was originally designed with three funnels; variations at the yard resulted in Columbia being built with four and Minneapolis with two.

Columbia was launched 26 July 1892 by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company, Philadelphia; sponsored by Miss H. Morton; and commissioned 23 April 1894, Captain George Watson Sumner in command.

Columbia joined the North Atlantic Squadron, and from 30 July 1894 to 5 January 1895 cruised to protect American interests in the Caribbean. She participated in the intervention in Nicaragua from July to August 1894. She visited Europe in the summer of 1895 and represented the United States at the ceremonial opening of the Kiel Canal in June. Returning to the east coast in August, she operated in the western Atlantic until going in ordinary, in reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard 13 May 1897.

Recommissioned 15 March 1898 for service in the Spanish–American War, Columbia patrolled along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies until 26 August. She convoyed troops to Puerto Rico and aided in its occupation between July and 14 August. Columbia was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard 31 March 1899.

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