USS Hist
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| History | |
|---|---|
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| Laid down: | 1895 |
| Acquired: | 22 April 1898 |
| Commissioned: | 13 May 1898 |
| Decommissioned: | 24 July 1911 |
| Struck: | 27 July 1911 |
| Fate: | Sold 20 November 1911 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 174 ft (53 m) |
| Beam: | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Draft: | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam |
| Complement: | 56 |
| Armament: |
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USS Hist, formerly Thespia, was built in 1895. She was purchased at Norfolk from David Dows, Jr., on 22 April 1898 for use in the Spanish–American War. Hist commissioned 13 May at New York, Lt. Lucien Young in command.
Arriving at Guantánamo Bay via Charleston 25 June, Hist joined the blockading fleet off Santiago de Cuba on the 29th. The following day was a memorable one. That morning, in company with Hornet, Hist captured the Spanish schooner Nickerson. Their prize in tow, the two ships were joined by Wompatuck and the column headed for Manzanillo Bay. On their way. they engaged a Spanish gunboat, which they sank, and were fired on by shore troops at Niguero. Reaching Manzanillo, the three American vessels engaged an enemy torpedo boat, four gunboats, four pontoons, a battery of field artillery, enemy troops firing from the shore, and a Spanish-held fort. When the smoke and fire lifted after an hour and 40 minutes of sharp fighting, Hornet had been disabled but towed to safety by Wompatuck, Hist had been hit 11 times; the Spanish had received the worst of the battle, losing a gunboat, a pontoon, and a sloop loaded with troops as well as suffering serious damage to the gun and torpedo boats. No American casualties resulted.
Hist returned to Manzanillo Bay twice more during the war, 15 July and 12 August. In the first of these return engagements, 10 Spanish ships were sent to the bottom and many others seriously damaged. For her part in this action Hist received commendation from General S. H. Rios, commanding the Cuban troops rebelling against Spanish rule. The second engagement at Manzanillo Bay was no less successful.
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Wikipedia