USS Iowa (BB-4) - Early Twentieth Century

Early Twentieth Century

After the battle, Iowa left Cuban waters for New York City, arriving on 20 August. While being towed by four tugboats to the Brooklyn Navy yard, Iowa came "very near colliding with the cruiser Chicago" after a hawser attached to one tugboat broke; a new hawser was hurriedly run out to Iowa's bow, preventing a collision. On 12 October, she departed for the Pacific, sailed through the Straits of Magellan at Cape Horn. A reporter on board describing the passage wrote "snow-capped mountains rising out of the sea, barren and gray just below the snow" along with "furious squalls called williwaws" which "picks up the water in masses of foam." While stationed in Valparaíso, Chile around 17 December, and later at Callao, Peru around 26 December, the sailors of Iowa along with Oregon gave on-board self-created performances for audiences including select sailors from the navies of Chile and Peru as a way to ease tensions following the conflict over Cuba (some South Americans sided with Spain.) The self-described "Iowa Minstrels" made a "melange of music, melody, and mirth" featuring a written program which included such entertainment as an overture, juggling, acrobatics, a "gifted Hibernian orator", comic sketches, singing, and banjo playing. She arrived at San Francisco, California on 7 February 1899. While in port, the crew presented Captain Evans with a different sword bearing the inscription "To our hero—Too just to take a fallen foe's—We give this sword instead." The captain thanked his crew for their bravery and respect in a published reply. The battleship then steamed to Bremerton, Washington, where she entered drydock on 11 June. After refit, Iowa served in the Pacific Squadron for 2 years under the command of Captain Goodrich, conducting training cruises, drills, and target practice. On 1 August 1900, the British cruiser HMS Phaeton narrowly avoided colliding with Iowa in the straits near Victoria (British Columbia) during a dense fog. At another point during these years, a manhole plate of a boiler blew open and the determined actions of five crewmen (see below) spared the ship from further disaster. Iowa left the Pacific in 1902 to become flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. She went to New York arriving February 1903 and was again decommissioned in June.

Iowa recommissioned in 23 December 1903 and joined the North Atlantic Squadron. She participated in the John Paul Jones Commemoration ceremonies on 30 June 1905. On 23 June, Iowa was serviced in the newly built floating dry dock Dewey. Iowa remained in the North Atlantic until she was placed in reserve on 6 July 1907. Future-Admiral Raymond A. Spruance served on Iowa in 1906 and 1907. Iowa decommissioned at Philadelphia on 23 July 1908.

Iowa recommissioned on 2 May 1910 with a new "cage" mainmast, and served as an at-sea training ship of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet for Naval Academy Midshipmen. On 13 May 1911, at sea 55 nmi (102 km) east of Cape Charles, Virginia, she and another vessel rescued passengers from the sinking Ward liner Merida after it collided with the United Fruit Company's steamship Admiral Farragut in dense fog; all 319 passengers on Merida remained alive. During the next four years, she made training cruises to Northern Europe and participated in the Naval Review at Philadelphia from 10–15 October 1912. She decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 27 May 1914.