USS Galveston

Cruiser No. 17, "Peace Cruiser"

The first Galveston was laid down 19 January 1901 by William R. Trigg Co., Richmond, Va. and launched 23 July 1903. Galveston was sponsored by Miss Ella Sealy of Galveston, Texas. USS Galveston was commissioned into the navy at Norfolk, Va., 15 February 1905 with Comdr. W. G. Cutler in command.

Galveston departed Norfolk on 10 April 1905 for Galveston, Tex., where, on 19 April, she was presented a silver service by citizens of her namesake city. Returning to the East Coast 3 May, she departed New York, 18 June, for Cherbourg, France, where she arrived 30 June and took part in the ceremonies commemorating the return of the remains of John Paul Jones to the U.S. Naval Academy. She reached Annapolis, Maryland on 22 July. She next joined despatch vessel Dolphin and Presidential Yacht Mayflower as one of the host ships for the Russo-Japanese Peace Conference (4-8 August 1905) serving at Oyster Bay, N.Y.; Newport, R.I.; and Portsmouth, N.H. During 13 August to 11 September 1905, the cruiser had special duty with Minister Plenipotentiary Hollander's State Department cruise from Norfolk to the West Indies ports of Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince, followed by preparations for foreign service at Norfolk and New York.

Galveston departed Tompkinsville, N.Y., on 28 December 1905 for service in the Mediterranean with the European Squadron until 28 March 1906 when she set course from Port Said to join the fleet at Cavite, P.I., for service on the Asiatic Station. She was part of the fleet reception for Secretary of Navy William H. Taft at Manila on 13 October 1906, served in his honor escort to Vladivostock, Siberia, the next month; and spent the following years in cruises among ports of the Philippines, China and Japan. She arrived in San Francisco, California from the Philippines on 17 February 1910 and was decommissioned in the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 21 February 1910. She was recommissioned there on 29 June 1912 for service that included a training cruise to Alaska. She departed the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 19 September 1913, touching San Francisco, Hawaii and Guam on her way to Cavite P.I., where she joined the Asiatic Fleet on 2 November 1913.

Galveston sometime between 1913-1915. Photo, Trophy Day Program and information on Richard G. Fare courtesy of Eleanor
Rose (Killen) Piperata and was shared with me by her daughter Linda. Eleanor relates that Richard left for the Navy on the Galveston when her mother was about 8 years old and never saw him again.

When the Galveston arrived in Cavite, Philippines Island for duty with the Asatic Fleet, Ships Plumber and Fitter Richard G. Fare was among her crew. Among his belongings that Linda shared with me was a Trophy Day Program and Menu from the USS Galveston dated 28 January 1915. On board the Galveston that day an awards banquet of sorts was held for the crew for the excellent work that her gun crews preformed. On 3-13 January, 1915 the Galveston was at the Target Range near Cavite, P.I., as were other ships of the Asiatic Fleet. The Galveston had very high marks for her gun crews with of the nine highest 5-inch gun scores, eight were from the Galveston with one gun crew No. 2, earning a Navy "E" award. Her 6-pdr. gun crews also were very accurate as of the 5 highest scores 4 were from the Galveston with gun crew No. 8 earning the Navy "E" award. For their efforts each man in the winning crews was paid $20 prize money. The winning 5-inch gun crew No. 2 had a score of 10.67 hits per min. with 8 shots and 8 hits. The winning 6-pdr. gun crew No. 8 had a score of 14 hits per min. with 8 shots and 7 hits.

After leaving the Target range she steamed on the Shanghai, China where on 28 January 1915 the Trophy Day Banquet was held on board ship. The crew was given a meal in honor of this event and the menu was Sweet Pickles, Oyster Soup, Roast Capon, Masted Potatoes, Cold ham, Layer Cake, Fresh Fruit, Shrimp Salad, Soda, Crackers, Oyster Dressing, Mince Pie, Mixed cake, Nuts, Raisins, Cocoa and Coffee. No doubt a meal fit for Kings or at least special occasions. You can view the entire program by clicking this link to the Trophy Day Menu on the right. This Throphy Day Menu was Ships Plumber and Fitter Richard G. Fare.

On the left is a photo of Ships Plumber and Fitter Richard G. Fare in uniform during his time on the Galveston. He has addressed it to his mother, Emma Coverdale "Truly Yours, R. G. Fare". And on the right is Richard G. Fare in an undated photo in civilian clothes.

The Port of Call log of the Galveston During her time with the Asiatic Fleet September 1913-January 1915

Crew Roster on 28 January 1915

Galveston's tour on the Asiatic Station was largely taken up with convoy service for supply ships and troop transports shuttling Marines and other garrison forces and stores between the Philippines and ports of Japan and China for the protection of American lives, property, and interests with brief intervals of Yangtze River Patrol for the same purpose. It was reported in the 18 December 1915 edition of the Washington Post under the "Movements of Vessels" section that the Gavleston and Cincinnati sailed from Shanghai to Manila. She also made one convoy trip from the Philippines to British North Borneo and two trips to Guam in the Marianas. She arrived in San Diego from the Asiatic Station on 10 January 1918 and transited the Panama Canal on the 23rd, convoying British troopship Athentic from Cristobal, C.Z., to Norfolk, and then on to New York, arriving on 11 February 1918.

During WWI Galveston was commanded by Captain Francis L. Chadwick. He was awarded the Navy Cross as commander of the Galveston. His citation reads: "The Navy Cross is awarded to Captain Francis L. Chadwick, U.S. Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Galveston, engaged on patrol against raiders in the waters of the Asiatic Station, and later on convoy duty in the Atlantic, escorting troop and cargo ships to European waters through the zone infested by enemy submarines and mines."

Galveston was assigned to Squadron 2 of the Atlantic Fleet Cruiser Force for convoy escort duties concurrent with the training of Armed Guard crews. After one convoy run through heavy weather from Tompkinsville to Halifax, Nova Scotia, she was largely employed in repeated convoy escort voyages between New York and Norfolk until 22 September 1918 when she departed Tompkinsville with a 19-ship convoy bound for Ponta Delgada, Azores. On the morning of 30 September, the convoy was attacked by German submarine U-152. Alerted by the flashing explosion to starboard, Galveston headed for the scene of attack and opened fire on the U-boat. Cargo ship Ticonderoga was shelled and sunk in the 2 hour battle with a loss of 213 lives, but the remaining ships of the convoy were brought safely into Ponta Delgada on 4 October 1918.

Galveston returned to Norfolk on 20 October 1918 to resume her coastal convoy escort work until the Armistice. She arrived in Plymouth, England, 26 March 1919 to transport a contingent of British-American troops from Harwich to Murmansk, U.S.S.R., then served as flagship of Squadron 3, Patrol Force, in Western European waters. She was largely concerned with the movement of prize crews and repatriation of crews of German ships until 22 June 1919 when she got underway to serve as station and flagship at Constantinople, Turkey. She arrived on station 14 July 1919 and broke the flag of Rear Admiral Mark L. Bristol. She transported refugees and American Red Cross officials to Constantinople from the Russian ports of Novorossisk and Theodosia and carried Rear Admiral N. A. McCully from Theodosia to Yalta. She was relieved as station ship at Constantinople on 15 July 1920 by cruiser Chattanooga (C-16). With the initial assignment of hull classification symbols and numbers to U.S. Navy ships in 1920, Galveston was classified as PG-31. She then returned home by way of the Suez Canal and Mediterranean ports, reached Boston 17 September 1920, and became a unit of the Special Service Squadron watching over American interests in waters ranging to the Panama Canal and down the West Coast of the Central American States to Corinto, Nicaragua. During this time she was commanded by Captain Clarence S. Kempff, who at the height of his naval career would become a Vice-Admiral of the Navy.

On 8 August 1921, she was reclassified CL-19. She also intermittently patrolled in the Gulf of Mexico with periodic calls at ports of Florida, Texas, Alabama, and Louisiana. On January 25, 1922 Galveston landed her marine detachment at Corinto, Nicaragua, to reinforce the Managua legation guard during a period of political tension. The end of this service was climaxed by a visit to her namesake city in Texas, where she arrived from Panama 26 August 1923 to represent the Navy at the American Legion convention. She then steamed to the Charleston Navy Yard and decommissioned 30 November 1923. During this last cruise she was commanded by Captain R. E. Pope.

Galveston was recommissioned 5 February 1924, for duty with the Special Service Squadron. She based most of her operations out of Christobal and Balboa, Panama, in a series of patrols that took her off the coast of Honduras, Cuba, and Nicaragua. On August 27, 1926 a flare-up of fighting in Nicaragua led to the landing of 200 seamen and marines from the cruiser USS Galveston at the request of the American Consul, to maintain a neutral zone around Bluefields, Nicaragua. The Galveston force was subsequently relieved by detachments from the cruiser USS Rochester (ACR 2), on October 31 and USS Denver (C 14) on November 30, 1926. Thereafter much of her time was spent cruising between Bluefields, Nicaraguat and Balboa to cooperate with the State Department in the restoration and preservation of order, and to insure the protection of American lives and property in Central America. On January 6, 1927 a marine detachment landed from the Galveston (C 17) reestablished the U.S. Legation Guard at Managua, Nicaragua. On February 9, 1927 Rear Admiral Julian L. Latimer, commander of the Special Service Squadron operating off the coast of Nicaragua, ordered the marines to take control of the Corinto-Managua railway to prevent it from being disrupted by the civil war. This was accomplished by detachments from the cruisers USS Galveston (C 17), USS Milwaukee (C 21) and USS Raleigh (CL 7).

After a voyage north in the fall of 1929 for overhaul in the Boston Navy Yard, Galveston revisited her namesake 26 to 29 October for the Navy Day celebrations, then touched Cuba on her way to Haiti, where she embarked Marines for transport to the Panama Canal. She resumed her watchful cruises between Balboa and Corinto until 19 May 1930 when she transited the Panama Canal for a last courtesy visit to Galveston (24-31 May) before inactivation overhaul in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia on 2 September 1930 and struck from the Navy List 1 November 1930, and sold for scrapping 13 September 1933 to the Northern Metal Co. of Philadelphia, Pa.

USS Galveston Ships Muster

Below are profiles of those who have served on the Galveston. If you know of someone who has served on this ship and want to add their story please contact me.

Ella Sealy Sponsor of the USS Galveston (Cruiser No. 17)

Miss Ella Sealy was the daughter of George Sealy who was a Galveston Banker and prominent Galveston citizen. When the USS Galveston was going to be launched she needed a sponsor for her christening and Miss Sealy was selected because of her family prominence in Galveston, Texas.

Miss Sealy was born in Galveston, Texas in December of 1878 to George and Magnolina Willis Sealy. George her father was born in January of 1835 in Pennsylvania of Irish parents and had moved west and settled in Galveston where he was a very successful banker. George and his wife Magnolina would later have seven children, four daughters and 3 sons, Ella being the second eldest child.

Ella Sealy was married on November 24, 1907 to Emerson Root Newell and was a member of the daughters of the American Revolution. She is the Gr-gr-gr-grandaughter of Jesse Womack (1739-1815). He was a Lieutenant in the Continental Army serving under General John Twiggs, for which service he received a land grant. Jesse Womack was born in Virginia in Madison County, Georgia.

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This page was created on 18 April, 2004 and last modified on: 11/5/09

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