Return to Naval Historical Center home page. Return to Online Library listing

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
901 M STREET SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS San Francisco (Cruiser # 5, C-5, later CM-2), 1890-1939. Later renamed Yosemite

USS San Francisco, a 4088-ton protected cruiser, was built at San Francisco, California, and commissioned in November 1890. She served in the Pacific until 1893, then steamed to the Atlantic. Operations followed in the North and South Atlantic, and in European waters. During the Spanish-American War, in 1898, San Francisco was stationed off Cuba.

The cruiser had two additional tours of European duty in 1902-04, plus spending some time in the Caribbean area. In 1908-1911, she was converted into a mine planter, one of the Navy's first specialized mine vessels. San Francisco assisted in laying the North Sea Mine Barrage during World War I. She was designated CM-2 in 1920, and decommissioned in December 1921. In reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard for many years thereafter, the ship was renamed Yosemite in 1931 and was sold for scrapping in April 1939.

This page features an 1890s view of USS San Francisco.

If higher resolution reproductions than these digital images are desired, see "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 44247

USS San Francisco (C-5)


Halftone photograph, published in Uncle Sam's Navy, 1898. San Francisco is dressed with flags, with the Italian ensign at her mainmast peak, possibly during her 1895-96 European Squadron service.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Online Image: 66,163 bytes; 740 x 630 pixels

 

Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

11 October 1998