USS Columbia
Of the Columbia-class consisting of the Columbia and Minneapolis, especially designed for acting as a commerce raider to hunt and destroy the fast ocean liners. To obtain the needed high maximum speed for this purpose was the armament and armour inferior to other protected cruisers. The machinery provided to be expensive while in use and at maximum speed was the range just limited. Just over a decade became this class obsolete while the ocean liners were faster. Preceded by the Cincinnati-class and succeeded by the Denver-class. Building costs for hull and machinery 2.725.000 US dollars. The class was designed with 3 funnels, however Columbia was built instead with 4 funnels and Minneapolis 2 funnels.
Building approved by Act of Congress dated 30 June 1890, building ordered under Fiscal Year 1891 on 30 June 1890, awarded on 10 November 1890, laid down by William Cramp&Sons, Philadelphia, USA on 30 December 1890, launched by Miss H. Morton on 26 July 1892, completed on 19 May 1893, delivered on 22 December 1893, commissioned on 22 December 1893, decommissioned and refitted 1907-1915, decommissioned on 21 August 1919, reclassified CA-16 on 17 July 1920, renamed Old Columbia on 17 November 1921, stricken on 26 January 1922 and sold on 21 June 1922.
Displacement 7.468 (standard)-8.403 (full load) tons and as dimensions 125,45 (between perpendiculars)-125,91 (over all) x 17,73 x 6,88 metres or 411.7-413.1 x 58.2 x 22.7 feet. The 3 vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines and 8 double ended and 2 single ended steam boilers supplied 21.000 ihp via screws allowing a speed of 22,5 (design)-22,8 (trials) knots. Range was 25.520 (design) nautical miles with a speed of 10 knots and a coal bunker capacity of 800 (normal)-1.576 or 2.130 (design for maximum range) ton. Schooner rigged. Her crew numbered 477 men (included 30 officers). The armour consisted of a 6,4cm/2.5” (flats)-10,2cm/4” (slopes) thick deck, 10,2cm/4” thick shields, 10,2cm/4” thick gun sponsons with the conning tower protected by 12,7cm/5”. The original armament consisted of 1-20,3cm/*” 40 cal Mark 5 gun, 2-15,2cm/6” 50 cal guns, 8-10,2cm/4” 40 cal quick firing guns, 12-5,7cm/2.2?5pd quick firing guns, 4-3,7cm/1.5”/1pd quick firing guns, 4 gatlings, 1 wheeled field gun for landing purposes and 4-35,6cm/14” or 4-45,7cm/18” torpedo tubes. Torpedo tubes removed in 1904, after 1917 was the 1-8” replaced by a 1-6” gun and 2-4” guns removed.
