USS Paragua (1888)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain
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| Name: | Paragua |
| Builder: | Manila Ship Company, Cavite, Philippines |
| Laid down: | March 1887 |
| Launched: | January 1888 |
| Homeport: | Manilla, Philippines |
 United States
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| Name: | USS Paragua |
| Namesake: | The pre-1905 name for the Philippine island of Palawan |
| Acquired: | Acquired by U.S. Navy by purchase 29 May 1899 |
| Commissioned: | 29 May 1899 |
| Decommissioned: | 19 April 1911 at Cavite, Philippines |
| Homeport: | Philippine Islands |
| Fate: | Sold 18 November 1912 |
| Status: | Fate unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Gunboat |
| Displacement: | 243 long tons (247 t) |
| Length: | 121 ft (37 m) |
| Beam: | 17 ft 10 in (5.44 m) |
| Draft: | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Speed: | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 30 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
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USS Paragua was a schooner-rigged iron gunboat in the United States Navy during the Philippine–American War. Paragua was one of four Arayat class gunboats built by the Manila Ship Co. for the Spanish navy in 1887–88. Her sister ships were the USS Samar (PG-41), USS Pampanga (PG-39) and USS Arayat.
Arayat, Samar, Pampanga and Paragua all were 243 tons. Samar was the first completed in 1887 and was 116 ft, while the other three, built at the same time in 1887–88, were 121 ft long. They were a scaled down design based on the larger El Cano at 620 tons and 166 ft that had been built in Spain. The primary design criterion was a shallower draft, seven feet or less, and length, in order to better adapt to the shallow reefs and rivers of the Philippines. For their small size, the boats were quite fast, maneuverable, and heavily armed.
Paragua was laid down for the Spanish Navy by the Manila Ship Company, Cavite, Philippine Islands, in March 1887 and launched in January 1888. She was named for the island of Palawan, known as Paragua prior to 1905. When the Spanish–American War broke out in April 1898, Paragua was part of the Spanish Pacific Fleet based at Manilla, PhilippinesParagua was one of ten gunboats put up for sale in early 1899 by the Spanish navy at its former base on the southern island of Basilan following the signing of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish–American War. The gunboats were purchased by a syndicate of private individuals put together by General Elwell Otis, the U.S. Army commander, in order to prevent their being acquired by the Philippine Revolutionary government. The Army bought the ships from the syndicate and then sold them to the U.S. Navy in early May 1899. Paragua was commissioned on 29 May 1899, Ensign W.C. Davidson, commanding.
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