A Brief History of the U. S. S. Imperator, One of the Two Largest Ships in the U. S. Navy.Anonymous
History
A Brief History of the U. S. S. Imperator, One of the Two Largest Ships in the U. S. Navy.
Anonymous
Berengaria (Ship)
Captain Morgan served in many vessels since the war, his service has
been both varied and honorable. He was promoted up the ladder of
success steadily, and in 1910 he received his commission as a Commander
in the Navy. Captain Morgan was the first officer in the Navy to take a
ship of the Navy through the St. Lawrence River and canals to Chicago,
that vessel was the Dubuque. Captain Morgan was the senior Naval
officer present during the Cuban outbreak in 1911, and was S. O. P.
during the Santa Dominican and Haitian Revolutions in that year and the
one following. He was in command of the battleship Minnesota at Vera
Cruz in 1914, and was at the War College, Newport, R. I., when we
declared war on Germany.
His first command during the war was the Sixth Squadron, Patrol Force,
with Hampton Roads as its base, and the Albany as the flagship. The
patrol was ordered to the other side, and Captain Morgan was ordered to
command the Agamemnon, the ex-Kaiser Wilhelm II. In April, 1918, he was
ordered to the staff of Vice-Admiral Gleaves as Force Transport
Officer, and remained in that capacity until May 23, at which time he
took command of the Great Imperator.
[Illustration: _The U. S. S. North Carolina which operated with the
Force._]
PLACING HER IN COMMISSION
It was a big job, placing the Imperator in commission for the first
time by American Navalmen. Fresh from the hands of the enemy into the
hands of proud Yankee sailors was the fate of this great leviathan of
the deep. She had been tied up alongside the docks at Hamburg, Germany,
for four years and nine months, and while her engines and boilers were
in fair condition, they were, nevertheless new to the men who were
first to sail her under the Stars and Stripes.
Getting a crew to man her was also a big proposition. Without men she
would not serve us our purpose, so her first commanding officer had to
draw his crew from several naval bases in France, London, and Cardiff,
Wales. The Imperator was brought to Brest by a German crew, including a
commodore, two captains and a score of other German officers. She was
officially placed in commission with Old Glory flying proudly at her
flagstaff on the 5th day of May, 1919. Captain John K. Robison, U. S.
Navy, was her first commanding officer, and Commander Laird, U. S.
Navy, was her first executive officer, and 2500 Yankee fighting men
comprised her crew.
Many of the Imperator's officers and enlisted men had been on foreign
station for some time, and her commanding officer was ordered from
Admiral Sims' headquarters in London.
SHE SAILS FOR THE UNITED STATES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account