View source for U.S.S. Vesuvius (1888)

<div name=fredbot:career>{{ShipCareer|fullname=U.S.S. ''Vesuvius'' (1888)|hullno=
|prefix=U.S.S.  
|name=Vesuvius
|cat=Dynamite Cruiser
|chain=NONE
|type=dynamite cruiser
|nat=US
|order=Act of 3 August, 1886{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
|builder=[[William Cramp & Sons|Cramp]]{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
|laid=Sep 1887{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
|launch=28 Apr, 1888{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
|comp=
|comm=7 Jun, 1890{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
|decomm=21 Oct, 1921{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
|strick=19 Apr, 1922{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
|fate=Sold
|fatedate=21 Apr, 1922{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
|fate2=Broken up
|pend=
|fg=gold|bg=navy}}</div name=fredbot:career>'''U.S.S. Vesuvius''' was the sole example of a "dynamite-gun cruiser", armed with the Zalinsky pneumatic gun, a unique departure from more conventional forms of main battery armament.

==Construction==
''Vesuvius'' was laid down in September 1887, at Philadelphia by [[William Cramp & Sons|William Cramp & Sons]], subcontracted from the Pneumatic Dynamite Gun Co. of New York, N.Y.  She was launched on 28 April, 1888, sponsored by Miss Eleanor Breckinridge.

==Service==
''Vesuvius'' commissioned on 2 June, 1890 at the [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]], {{LieutUS}} [[Seaton Schroeder]] in command.

''Vesuvius'' carried three 15-inch pneumatic guns, mounted forward side-by-side. In order to train these weapons, the ship had to be aimed, like a gun, at its target. Compressed air projected the shells from the "dynamite guns." The explosive used in the shells themselves was actually a "desensitized blasting gelatin" composed of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. It was less sensitive to shock than regular dynamite but still sensitive enough that compressed air, rather than powder, had to be utilized as the propellant. Ten shells per gun were carried on board, and the range of flight—varying from 200 yards to one and one-half miles—depended on the amount of air entering the firing chamber.

''Vesuvius'' sailed for New York shortly after commissioning and then joined the Fleet at Gardiner's Bay, N.Y., on 1 October, 1890. She operated off the east coast with the [[North Atlantic Squadron]] into 1895. Highlights of this tour of duty included numerous port visits and participation in local observances of holidays and festivals, as well as gunnery practice and exercises. Experience showed that the ship's unique main battery had two major drawbacks: first, the range was too short; second, the method of aiming was crude and inaccurate.

Decommissioned on 25 April, 1895 for major repairs, ''Vesuvius'' re-entered service on 12 January, 1897, {{LCommUS}} [[John Elliott Pillsbury|John E. Pillsbury]] in command. The ship got underway from the Philadelphia Navy Yard, bound for Florida, and operated off the east coast through the spring of the following year, 1898. By this time, American relations with Spain were worsening. The American Fleet gathered in Florida waters, and ''Vesuvius'' hurried south from Newport, and arrived at [[Naval Station Key West|Key West]] on 13 May. She remained there until May 28th, when she headed for blockade duty in Cuban coastal waters. ''Vesuvius'' performed special duties at the discretion of the Fleet Commander in Chief and served as a dispatch vessel between Cuba and Florida into July of 1898.

On 13 June, ''Vesuvius'' conducted the first of eight shore bombardment missions against Santiago, Cuba. The cruiser stealthily closed the shore under cover of darkness, loosed a few rounds of her 15-inch dynamite charges, and then retired to sea. Psychologically, ''Vesuvius''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> bombardment caused great anxiety among the Spanish forces ashore, for her devastating shells came in without warning, unaccompanied by the roar of gunfire usually associated with a bombardment. Admiral [[William Thomas Sampson|Sampson]] wrote accordingly, that ''Vesuvius''' bombardments had "great effect."

After hostilities with Spain ended later that summer, ''Vesuvius'' sailed north and called at Charleston, New York, and Newport, before reaching Boston. Taken out of active service on 16 September, 1898, ''Vesuvius'' remained at the [[Boston Navy Yard]] until 1904, when she began conversion to a torpedo-testing vessel.  ''Vesuvius'' lost her unique main battery and acquired four torpedo tubes: three 18-inch and one 21-inch.  Recommissioned on 21 June, 1905, ''Vesuvius'' soon sailed for the [[Naval Torpedo Station]] at Newport to begin her new career.

She conducted torpedo experiments at the station for two years until decommissioned on 27 November, 1907 for repairs. Recommissioned again on 14 February, 1910, ''Vesuvius'' remained at Newport for the next eleven years, on occasion serving as station ship.  Decommissioned and ordered appraised for sale on 21 October, 1921, ''Vesuvius'' was sold for scrap on 21 April, 1922 to J. Lipsitz and Co. of Chelsea, Mass.

==Captains==
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
<div name=fredbot:officeCapt otitle="Captain of U.S.S. ''Vesuvius''">
{{Tenure|rank={{LieutUS}}|name=Seaton Schroeder|nick=Seaton Schroeder|appt=2 June, 1890{{USOfficerReg1891|p. 16}}|end=April 1894{{USOfficerReg1895|p. 12}}|precBy=None}}
{{Tenure|rank={{LCommUS}}|name=Harry Knox|nick=Harry Knox|appt=2 August, 1894{{USOfficerReg1895|p. 12}}|end=25 April, 1895}}
{{Tenure|rank={{LCommUS}}|name=John Elliott Pillsbury|nick=John E. Pillsbury|appt=12 January, 1897{{USList&Station1898|p. 8}}|end=16 September, 1898}}
{{Tenure|rank={{LieutUS}}|name=Walton Roswell Sexton|nick=Walton R. Sexton|appt=20 June, 1905{{USOfficerReg1906|p. 30}}|end=8 March, 1906{{USOfficerReg1907|p. 32}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{LieutUS}}|name=Joseph Rollie Defrees|nick=Joseph R. Defrees|appt=8 March, 1906{{USOfficerReg1907|p. 32}}|end=September 1907{{USOfficerReg1908|p. 30}}}}
</div name=fredbot:officeCapt>

==Armament==
===As Completed===
{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
* three 15-inch pneumatic guns
* three 3-pounders
===1905===
{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
* one 21-inch torpedo tube
* three 18-inch torpedo tubes
===1918===
{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
* one 3-inch/50 caliber

==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Vesuvius_(1888)}}
{{refend}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Conways1860}}
* {{SilverstoneNewNavy}}
{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vesuvius}}

{{CatClassMisc|US}}
{{CatShipMisc|US}}



<!-- data

nat=US
cat=Dynamite Cruiser
type=dynamite cruiser
prefix=U.S.S.

chain=NONE

{ship
name=Vesuvius
hullno=
builder=[[William Cramp & Sons|Cramp]]{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
order=Act of 3 August, 1886{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
laid=Sep 1887{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
launch=28 4 1888{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
comm=7 6 1890{{Conways1860|p. 156}}
decomm=21 10 1921{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
strick=19 4 1922{{SilverstoneNewNavy|p. 75}}
fate=Sold
fatedate=21 4 1922
fate2=Broken up
}


data -->