USS Puritan (BM-1) - Service History

Service History

Puritan had a busy career in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Assigned to the Cuban blockade in April, she joined New York and Cincinnati in shelling Matanzas on the 27th. After a stop at Key West in early May, she departed on the 20th to join the force building under Rear Admiral William T. Sampson that would eventually move against Santiago. Puritan linked up on the 22nd and Sampson moved his ships to Key Frances on the Nicholas Channel in order to execute his plan to contain the Spanish Fleet at Santiago. The success of Sampson’s squadron at Santiago on July 3 resulted in almost the complete destruction of the Spanish Fleet. After Cuba, she sailed for Puerto Rico where she landed a party of US Marines and shelled the Spanish positions at the Battle of Fajardo.

Following war-time service, Puritan served as a practice ship for the Naval Academy from 1899 to 1902. She was decommissioned on April 16, 1903 at Philadelphia but was recommissioned June 3 to serve as a receiving ship at League Island. In 1904, she was loaned to the Naval Militia of Washington, D.C. and served with them until September 14, 1909. Puritan then moved to Norfolk, Virginia where she was again decommissioned on April 23, 1910.

In March 1910, it was proposed by a commodore that the monitors in service with the U.S. Navy, including Puritan, Miantonomoh, Terror and Amphitrite, be used as forts near Key West in order to make it into "an American Gibraltar". The Spanish–American War of 1898 and the Panama Canal (under construction in 1910) had caused Key West's military importance to rise because of its geographical location. It was pointed out that the defenses of Fort Zachary Taylor on the island were not enough, as ships could sit seven miles south of the fort (outside the range of its guns) and shell Key West. As such, the proposal advocated the placement of monitors in strategic locations around Key West. Dykes of "piling, rock and riprap" would then be constructed around the ships. Water inside of these dykes would be pumped out to be replaced by dirt, creating an artificial island that was a "complete, modern double-turreted fort".

She was struck from the Navy List February 27, 1918 and, with the submarine USS Plunger (SS-2) on board, was one of several vessels sold on January 26, 1922, to J. G. Hitner and W. F. Cutler of Philadelphia.