Maritime History Connection: The U.S.S. Oregon

2013.5.1

The Maritime Museum of San Diego has received two objects from the U.S.S. Oregon. We have a cane that doubles as a sword from the supposed last commander of the battleship, Captain Miller. We were also given a lantern. There is another connection: the Ferryboat Berkeley is located at the museum. It was also built by Union Iron Works and launched a few short years after the Oregon.

Now, some history on the Oregon.

The United States battleship was laid down on November 19, 1891 by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California.  The Oregon launched on October 26, 1893, and was officially commissioned on July 15, 1896, with Captain Henry L. Howison in command.

The Oregon headed for the Pacific Station, where she served for a short period of time. On February 16, 1898, the commander got word that the Maine had blown up in Havana Harbor the previous day. On March 9, Oregon arrived back in San Francisco to load ammunition, and the next day received orders to head to the east coast to reinforce the Atlantic Fleet.

Leaving San Francisco

The trip began on March 19, when she left San Francisco, and arrived in Callao, Peru on April 4 to fill up with coal. She departed several days later and Captain Charles E. Clark decided not to stop in Valparaiso, Chile for coal, but instead continue through the Straits of Magellan. On April 16, the Oregon entered the straits and ran into a horrible storm, but had no issue weathering the storm out. The next day she continued around Cape Forward and onto Punta Arenas, where she was joined by gunboat Marietta.

Both the Oregon and the Marietta departed on the 21^st for Rio de Janeiro, with their guns manned for a rumored Spanish torpedo boat that was in the area. Weather delayed them, and they did not reach Rio until the end of April.  They received word about war being declared on Spain, and on May 4, the Oregon set out on the next part of her journey.

She arrived in Jupiter Inlet, Florida on May 24, after sailing over 14,000 nautical miles. On the 26^th, she headed down to Key West, and joined Admiral Sampson’s fleet. On June 1, they arrived in Santiago, Cuba to help defeat the Spanish.

Her time was done in Cuba. She headed up to the New York Navy Yard for a refit, and then sailed to the Asiatic Station. She arrived in Manila on March 18, 1899. The next year she went to Japan and then to Hong Kong. She received orders to head to Taku for the Boxer Rebellion. While she was steaming through the Straits of Pechili, she ran aground on an uncharted rock and had to be towed to Hope Sound for repairs.

Once her repairs were complete, she set back to San Francisco and arrived on June 12, 1901 for an overhaul. She sailed to Asia one more time before being decommissioned and then recommissioned for the last time on August 29, 1911. Her next journey took her back to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. She was then placed on reserve, and taken off for the last time. She served as an escort for the Siberian Intervention.

Oregon as a museum

Her final fate would not be so glorious. She was rendered unfit for duty on January 4, 1924. The next year she was loaned to the state of Oregon, restored, and moored off the coast as a floating monument and museum.

With the outbreak of World War II, the Oregon was deemed to be scrapped. She was sold for $35,000 and towed to Washington for dismantling. She was reinstated by the military and towed to Guam to be used as a barge. She remained there for several years after the war. During a typhoon in 1948, she broke off her moorings and drifted out to sea. She was located a few days later on December 8, by search planes and towed back to Guam. On March 15, 1956 she was sold for $208,000 to the Massey Supply Corporation, and then resold to the Iwai Sanggo Company. She was then towed to Kawasaki, Japan, and scrapped.

Her mast is the only thing to survive. It is located at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon.

For more information, please visit the Navy Historical Center.  

Entry prepared by Leslin Ossoff, Collections Intern. 

Sailor Desmond’s Tattoo Parlor

Wood with metal handles on both ends, 9 x 23 x 12 inches

Gest Collection

1968.149

Tattooing in the early 20^th Century was not very common in America. Compared to Europe and Asia, sailors were normally the only people to have them. This would soon change when more people started entering the United States with tattoos on their skin. Most people considered these tattooed people freaks, which then led them to be put on display in freak shows and circus acts. People would come from all over to see this displaying of artwork on the skin of people.[1]

After the decline of these shows, tattoos were associated with the dirtier areas of town. With the invention of the electric tattoo machine  around the same time, tattooing became popular for ordinary people as well as sailors. This type of tattooing was known as flash tattooing. The artists would hang up their drawings for people to pick from. Most of the flash tattooing designs were very similar. The “mom” tattoos, as well as pin up girls were featured in flash design.[2] The example of flash is displayed with the object in this collection. It was during this time that many tattoo shops started appearing in port towns and featuring military flash designs particularly designed for the marines and navy soldiers in that area.

Different tattoos on sailors represented certain things that they had accomplished during their time served, and it was also a way to show all the places they had traveled to. A turtle on the back of the legs indicated that he had been to the equator. A rope around the wrist meant that he was a dock hand.   A cross on the bottom of each foot was supposed to help keep the sharks away. It is thought that a rooster and a pig on the ankles would prevent the sailor from drowning. An anchor most likely meant the sailor spent time in the Atlantic or they were a merchant marine. The very popular Hula girl came from the World War II era after the sailor spent time in Hawaii. The sight of a swallow while at sea was a great sight to many of the sailors, as this meant land was close. The swallow is known for always returning home, therefore the sailor would return home as well. Another meaning behind the swallow is that a sailor would get this after he had traveled 5,000 nautical miles. This was normally placed on the chest. The more swallows a sailor had on his chest, the more respect he earned. Finally, the words “Hold Fast” tattooed on knuckles meant the sailor would not drop a line or fall overboard.[3]

For more information about this history of tattoos and the use of early machines, visit The National Tattoo Museum.

Blog Entry Prepared by Leslin Ossoff, Collections Intern 

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[1] http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/07/26_tattoo.html

[2] http://blog.nyhistory.org/a-short-incomplete-history-of-american-traditional-tattooing/ 

[3] http://www.military-history.org/articles/war-culture-maritime-tattoos.htm