Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Denver Class Protected Cruiser USS Cleveland pictured in the Dewey floating drydock at Olongapo Naval Station,Philippine Islands,January 14th 1908.She was launched on September 28th 1901 at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine.
Cleveland cruised with the European Squadron, in West Indies and Cuban waters, along the east coast between Hampton Roads and Boston, and on a midshipmen training cruise until May 17th 1907. She then sailed from New York via Gibraltar, Port Said, Aden, Colombo and Singapore to Cavite, arriving August 1st 1907. After three years on the Asiatic station,Cleveland returned to Mare Island Navy Yard August 1st 1910. Decommissioned August 3rd 1910, she was placed in second reserve April 8th 1912, and returned to full commission August 31st 1912.
Cleveland alternated patrols in waters off Mexico and Central America with reserve periods at Mare Island Navy Yard between 1912 and 1917, protecting American lives and interests from the turmoil of revolution. On March 31st 1917, she arrived at Hampton Roads, and from April 9th to June 22nd, patrolled from Cape Hatteras to Charleston. Assigned to escort convoys to a mid-ocean meeting point, the Cleveland made seven voyages between June 1917 and December 1918.
Returning to patrols off Central and South America,Cleveland was assigned to the Pacific Fleet once more from February 16th 1920, returning to Caribbean waters from time to time. She was reclassified CL-21 on August 8th 1921. During her continued service in the Caribbean and along the South American coasts,Cleveland made courtesy calls, supported diplomatic activities, gave disaster relief, and represented American interests in troubled areas. She was decommissioned at Boston November 1st 1929, and sold for scrapping March 7th 1930 in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty limiting naval armament.

Laundry day on Protected Cruiser USS Baltimore c1899.

A lovely photo and I am pleased to see they have not mixed the whites with the colour wash

Jim

Protected Cruiser USS Baltimore..annotation reads 'Anchored stern to reef at Honolulu c1897'.

Protected Cruiser USS Chicago pictured at Brooklyn Navy Yard under refit in 1899.
In 1895–99 Chicago was refitted at the New York Navy Yard, with her main batteries replaced by four new 8-inch/35 caliber Mark 4 guns,and with all secondary 6 inch and 5 inch guns replaced by fourteen new 5-inch/40 caliber Mark 3 guns. She had her sails removed, boilers replaced by six Babcock & Wilcox and four cylindrical boilers, and engines replaced with two horizontal triple-expansion engines totaling 9,000 ihp (6,700 kW) for 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) speed.In 1902 she was partially reconstructed, with an extended armored deck and increased displacement of 5,000 long tons (5,100 t). In 1915 as a Training Ship she was rearmed with twelve 4-inch/40 caliber guns,and in 1918 as a flagship with four 5-inch/51 caliber guns. In 1920, as a Submarine Tender at Pearl Harbor, she was disarmed.

Great photo find. Right after the USN had taken a hard look at the results of gunnery at the Battle of Manila Bay (in particular) and Santiago as well, they decided it was time to get the old guns off the ship and install newer, better weapons. The older 8" and 6" guns were hard to work, slower firing and prone to a lot of working problems, as you read in the Baltimore story. Baltimore didn't get her refit until 1903, and her upgrade traded out the 8" guns for a full fit of 6" guns, which worked out well, as it simplified fire control, ammunition storage, improved the overall rate of fire and made for a more effective ship.

Protected Cruiser USS Chicago pictured post her 1899 major refit.
In 1895–99 Chicago was refitted at the New York Navy Yard,Brooklyn with her main batteries replaced by four new 8-inch/35 caliber Mark 4 guns,and with all secondary 6 inch and 5 inch guns replaced by fourteen new 5-inch/40 caliber Mark 3 guns.She had her sails and masts removed, boilers replaced by six Babcock & Wilcox and four cylindrical boilers, and engines replaced with two horizontal triple-expansion engines totaling 9,000 ihp for 18 knots speed.In 1902 she was partially reconstructed, with an extended armored deck and increased displacement of 5,000 long tons. In 1915 as a Training Ship she was rearmed with twelve 4-inch/40 caliber guns,and in 1918 as a flagship with four 5-inch/51 caliber guns. In 1920, as a Submarine Tender at Pearl Harbor, she was disarmed.
Chicago was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on September 30th 1923 and served as a Receiving Ship there until 1935. On July 16th 1928 she was renamed Alton to free the name Chicago for the Heavy Cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29) and was reclassified as an 'unclassified miscellaneous unit' (IX-5).
Alton was sold on May 15th 1936. She foundered in mid-Pacific on July 8th 1936 while being towed from Honolulu to San Francisco for delivery to her buyers.

Here is the OLYMPIA arriving at the Washington (D.C.) Navy Yard in 1921. She was chosen to bring our Unknown Soldier home.

I can still remember going to the Tomb of the Unknown in 1956.........even the for a youngster, very moving!

The color photo shows the old cruiser at her home almost across the River from battleship NEW JERSEY. DFO

Protected Cruiser USS Chicago pictured taking part in the Dewey Naval Parade at New York in 1899.

Protected Cruiser USS Boston pictured in 1881.