
The Navy Department Library
Report of the Secretary of the Navy, 1898
Purchase of Auxiliary Vessels
Upon the passage of the bill appropriating $50,000,000 for national defense, the Department at once took steps for the purchase of auxiliary vessels. On March 12 a board was appointed and directed to communicate with the owners of vessels and obtain from them the terms on which they were willing to sell or charter, and to examine thoroughly such vessels as the Department might designate or the board consider desirable for the use of the Navy, giving particular attention to the condition of the boilers and engines, coal capacity, etc.
The following is the list of vessels purchased. In addition to these, the City of Pekin was chartered from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company at $1,000 a day for the transportation of supplies from San Francisco to Manila. Also four steamers of the International Navigation Company were chartered--the St. Paul, St. Louis, New York (renamed the Harvard), and the Paris (renamed the Yale)--at $2,500 a day each for the first two and $2,000 a day each for the last two. These four steamers were, at the request of the War Department, turned over to it to meet its necessities in the way of transporting troops--the Yale for sixty-five days, the Harvard for twelve days, the St. Louis for twenty-eight days, and the St. Paul for forty-eight days. The city of Philadelphia loaned to the Navy Department, for the nominal sum of $1, its ice boat No. 3 (renamed the Arctic). The yachts Free Lance and Buccaneer were also generously loaned for service during the war, without charge, the former by Mr. F. Augustus Schermerhorn and the latter by Mr. William R. Hearst.
Name before Purchase | Renamed | Date of Purchase | Purchase Price | Previous Owners |
Columbia | Wasp | Mar. 26, 1898 | $ 95,000 | J.H. Ladew |
Alicia | Hornet | Apr. 6, 1898 | 117,500 | Henry M. Flagler |
Almy | Eagle | Apr. 2, 1898 | 110,000 | Frank Gallitin |
Hermione | Hawk | Do. | 50,000 | Henry L. Pierce estate |
D.C. Ivans | Nezinscot | Mar. 25, 1898 | 30,000 | Moran & Co. |
P.H. Wise | Sioux | Mar. 26, 1898 | 25,553 | Do. |
Winthrop | Osceola | Mar. 31, 1898 | 100,000 | Staples Coal Co. |
El Toro | Accomac | Mar. 26, 1898 | 40,000 | Southern Pacific Line |
Wilmot | Potomac | Apr. 14, 1898 | 125, 300 | Ocean Towing and Wrecking Co. |
Edward Luckenback | Tecumseh | Apr. 2, 1898 | 45,000 | Luckenback & Co. |
Walter A. Luckenback | Uncas | Do. | 75,000 | Do. |
Atlas | Wampatuck | Apr. 4, 1898 | 65,000 | Standard Oil Co. |
Josephine | Vixen | Apr. 9, 1898 | 150,000 | T.A.B. Widener |
Mayflower | Mayflower | Mar. 19, 1898 | 430,000 | Odgen Goelet estate |
Soverign | Scorpion | Apr. 7, 1898 | 300,000 | M.C.D. Borden |
Creole | Solace | Do. | 300,000 | Cromwell S.S. Line |
Diogenes | Topeka | Apr. 2, 1898 | 170,327 | Thames Iron Works (London) |
Not named | Manly | Apr. 13, 1898 | 24,250 | Chas. R. Flint |
Do. | Somers | Mar. 26, 1898 | 72,997 | Schichau Iron Works, Elbing, Germany |
Saturn | Saturn | Apr. 2, 1898 | 290,000 | The Boston Towboat Co. |
Lebanon | Lebanon | Apr. 6, 1898 | 225,000 | Philadelphia and Reading R.R. Co. |
El Norte | Yankee | Do. | 575,000 | Southern Pacific Co. |
El Rio | Dixie | Apr. 15, 1898 | 575,000 | Do. |
El Sol | Prairie | Apr. 6, 1898 | 575,000 | Do. |
El Sud | Yosemite | Do. | 575,000 | Do. |
Nictheroy—El Cid | Buffalo | July 11, 1898 | 575,000 | Brazilian Government |
Amazonas | New Orleans | Mar. 16, 1898 | 1,429,215 | Do. |
Almirante Abru | Albany | Do. | 1,205,000 | Do. |
Merrimac | Merrimac | Apr. 12, 1898 | 324,000 | Hogan Line |
Niagara | Niagara | Apr. 11, 1898 | 200,000 | Ward Line Steamship Co. |
Sterling | Sterling | Apr. 16, 1898 | 190,000 | Black Diamond Transportation Co. |
Enterprise | Modoc | Apr. 29, 1898 | 30,000 | American Towing Co. |
No. 18 | No. 18 | Apr. 18, 1898 | 2,800 | Philadelphia Transportation and Lightering Co. |
Nashan | Nashan | Apr. 6, 1898 | 155,728 | Frank Smythe |
Zafiro | Zafiro | Apr. 9, 1898 | 87,597 | China and Manila Steamship Co. |
Alice | Alice | Mar. 26, 1898 | 19,000 | John M. Worth |
C.G. Coyle | Choctaw | Apr. 19, 1898 | 82,500 | W.G. Coyle |
Penwood | Powhatan | Apr. 8, 1898 | 42,500 | Walsh & Doran |
Fearless | Iroquois | Apr. 18, 1898 | 150,000 | J.D. Spreckels Bros. Co. |
Vigilant | Vigilant | Apr. 19, 1898 | 60,000 | Do. |
Active | Active | Apr. 18, 1898 | 75,000 | Do. |
Hercules | Hercules | Apr. 26, 1898 | 40,000 | Standard Oil Co. |
Southery | Southery | Apr. 16, 1898 | 100,000 | Edward Luckenback |
Venezuela | Panther | Apr. 19, 1898 | 375,000 | Red D Line Steamship Co. |
Yumuri | Badger | Do. | 367,000 | Ward Line Steamship Co. |
Yorktown | Resolute | Apr. 21, 1898 | 475,000 | Old Dominion Steamship Co. |
T.P. Fowler | Mohawk | Apr. 23, 1898 | 44,000 | Cornell Steamboat Co. |
Thespia | Hist | Apr. 22, 1898 | 65,000 | David Dows, jr. |
Restless | Restless | Apr. 22, 1898 | 29,000 | Hiram W. Sidley |
Illawara | Oneida | May 31, 1898 | 60,000 | Eugene Tompkins |
Viking | Viking | Apr. 22, 1898 | 30,000 | Horace A. Hutchins |
Chatham | Vulcan | May 2, 1898 | 350,000 | Merchants and Miners’ Line |
Penelope | Yankton | May 20, 1898 | 125,000 | H.E. Converse |
Right Arm | Pontiac | Apr. 23, 1898 | 30,000 | Merritt & Chapman |
Philadelphia | Peoria | May 23, 1898 | 100,000 | Philadelphia Pilot Association |
Corsair | Gloucester | Apr. 23, 1898 | 225,000 | Pierpont Morgan |
Menemsha | Iris | May 25, 1898 | 145,000 | Miami Steamship Co. |
John Dwight | Pawnee | May 6, 1898 | 25,000 | Geo. T. Moran |
Justin | Justin | Apr. 23, 1898 | 145,000 | Bowring & Archibald |
Hortense | Takoma | Apr. 30, 1898 | 28,000 | O’Conner & Smoot |
Aileen | Aileen | May 2, 1898 | 55,000 | Richard Stevens |
Scindia | Scindia | May 12, 1898 | 267,657 | Henderson Bros. |
Comanche | Frolic | May 28, 1898 | 115,000 | H.M. Hanna |
Illinois | Supply | Apr. 30, 1898 | 325,000 | International Navigation Co. |
Kingstor | Caesar | Apr. 21, 1898 | 175,194 | John Holman & Sons |
Dorothea | Dorothea | May 21, 1898 | 187,500 | Thos. McKean estate |
Gov. Russell | Gov. Russell | May 11, 1898 | 71,000 | City of Boston |
East Boston | East Boston | June 2, 1898 | 57,500 | Do. |
W.H. Brown | Piscataqua | May 11, 1898 | 130,000 | W.H. Brown |
J.D. Jones | Apache | May 24, 1898 | 54,510 | Merritt & Chapman Wrecking Co. |
Celtic King | Celtic | May 14, 1898 | 340,900 | Federal Line (London) |
Rhaetia | Cassius | May 24, 1898 | 160,594 | William Lamb |
A.W. Booth | Massasoit | Apr. 25, 1898 | 30,000 | Moran Towing Co. |
Joseph Holland | Hannibal | Apr. 16, 1898 | 147,941 | Francis Stanley Holland (London) |
Atala | Alexander | Apr. 25, 1898 | 206,826 | New Star Blue Line Steamers (London) |
Eliz. Holland | Leonidas | Apr. 16, 1898 | 147,941 | Francis Stanley Holland (London) |
Harlech | Pompey | Apr. 19, 1898 | 111,929 | Jas. & Chas. Harrison (London) |
Abarenda | Abarenda | May 5, 1898 | 175,000 | J. Graham |
(Not known) | Scipio | Do. | 85,769 | Geo. P. Walford |
Peter Jebsen | Brutus | June 3, 1898 | 215,000 | L.F. Chapman & Co. |
No. 55 | Water Barge No. 1 | May 25, 1898 | 24,000 | Standard Oil Co. |
Whitgift | Nero | June 30, 1898 | 215,000 | McCondray & Co. |
Norse King | Rainbow | June 29, 1898 | 176,576 | Thomas Ronaldson |
Enquirer | Enquirer | Do. | 80,000 | W.J. Conners |
Inca | Inca | June 13, 1898 | 35,000 | Frank B. McQueston |
Huntress | Huntress | June 7, 1898 | 27,500 | F.C. Fowler |
Stranger | Stranger | June 9, 1898 | 75,000 | Mrs. Mary Lewis |
Kate Jones | Seminole | June 6, 1898 | 25,000 | Boston Towboat Co. |
Bristol | Cheyenne | July 8, 1898 | 20,000 | J.J. Cummings |
Eugenia | Siren | June 9, 1898 | 40,000 | J.G. Cassat |
Elfrida | Elfrida | June 15, 1898 | 50,000 | Dr. Seward Webb |
No. 295 | Sylph | June, 1898 | 50,000 | John Roach & Co. |
Shearwater | Shearwater | May 9, 1898 | 26,000 | Henry W. Wolcott |
Sylvia | Sylvia | June 13, 1898 | 25,000 | Edward M. Brown |
Hercules | Chickasaw | June 25, 1898 | 15,000 | M. Revel |
Confidence | Waban | Do. | 20,000 | Do. |
Kanawha | Kanawha | June 7, 1898 | 50,000 | John P. Duncan |
Pedro | Hector | June, 1898 | 200,000 | (Prize) |
Port Chalmers | Glacier | July, 1898 | 340,550 | Federal Line (London) |
Titania | Marcellus | June 13, 1898 | 90,000 | William Lamb |
Refrigerating ship | 247,704 | |||
Lucilene | Arethusa | Aug. 12, 1898 | 218,992 | Thos. S. Hopkins |
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