USS Hawk (PY-2/IX-14) was the converted civilian yacht Hermione, built by Fleming & Ferguson

Fleming & Ferguson

Fleming and Ferguson was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding company that traded between 1877 and 1969.-1877–1914:W.Y. Fleming and P. Ferguson founded the company in Paisley, Scotland in 1877, making marine steam engines. In 1885 they expanded into shipbuilding by taking over the...

, Paisley, Scotland, in 1891 for Henry L. Pierce

Henry L. Pierce

Henry Lillie Pierce was a United States Representative fromMassachusetts. He was born in Stoughton on August 23, 1825. He pursued...

. The yacht was purchased by the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 on 2 April 1898, renamed Hawk, and commissioned three days later, Lt. John Hood

John Hood (naval officer)

John Hood was an rear admiral of the United States Navy during World War I. He was also a veteran of the Spanish-American War.-Biography:...

 in command.

Spanish-American War

Hawk sailed from Key West

Key West

Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....

 in late April 1898 to join the North Atlantic Squadron in blockading Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 during the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

. On 23 May she accompanied Admiral Sampson's

William T. Sampson

William Thomas Sampson was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.-Biography:...

 flagship out from Key West. Two weeks later she attacked and destroyed enemy ship Alphonso XII, which carried cargo for Cuba. In late summer she departed for Norfolk

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...

 where she decommissioned on 14 September 1898.

Naval militia service

Recommissioned in 1900, she was loaned to the Ohio Naval Militia

Ohio Naval Militia

The Ohio Naval Militia is an organized, unarmed unit that has been serving the State of Ohio and the United States since 1896. It is the naval arm of the State of Ohio's Adjutant General's Department, and is therefore part of Ohio's State Defense Forces....

 where she served for nine years. On 3 August 1909 Hawk was transferred to the Naval Militia of New York

New York Naval Militia

The New York Naval Militia is the Naval Militia of New York State and is under the command of the Governor of New York.With the New York State Guard, as well as the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, it is under the control of the New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs and New...

, and served for 10 years in the Buffalo

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

 area. She decommissioned on 21 May 1919 and joined the Reserve Fleet. After World War I, she was reclassified as PY-2, and again redesignated IX-14 on 1 July 1921.

Great Lakes

Hawk once again recommissioned on 16 April 1922 and was assigned to the 9th Naval District. She operated in the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 area for the duration of her service. She decommissioned on 14 February 1940 and was sold on 25 February to the Indiana Salvage Co., Michigan City, Indiana

Michigan City, Indiana

Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....

.