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USS Wilmington (PG-8)
Encyclopedia
USS Wilmington (Gunboat No. 8) was laid down on 8 October 1894 at Newport News
, Virginia
, by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company; launched on 19 October 1895; sponsored by Mrs. Anne B. Gray; and commissioned on 13 May 1897 with Commander
Chapman C. Todd in command.
. Wilmington trained and underwent exercises in gunnery and tactics in late 1897 and early 1898 as tension between the United States
and Spain
was rising steadily closer to open hostilities.
in Havana
harbor, Cuba
, the United States declared war on Spain. Meanwhile, the Navy had moved its warships into position to attack Spanish possessions in the Far East and in the Caribbean
. In May she participated in the Second Battle of Cardenas
and was defeated but at the Bombardment of Cárdenas the next morning, she sank two Spanish gunboats and two schooners without a fight. On 15 July 1898, Wilmington arrived off Cape Cruz, near Manzanillo, Cuba
, and joined Wompatuck on station with the blockading forces.
The following day, Wilmington overhauled two small charcoal-burning fishing boats off the harbor mouth and questioned their Cuban crews. From the brief interrogation, the Americans learned that a submarine cable connected Santa Cruz and Jucaro. The gunboat then proceeded to the spot mentioned by the fishermen and lowered a grappling hook. Finding the cable, Wilmington cut it and made for Cuarto Reales to join Helena (Gunboat No. 9), Wompatuck, and Hist.
On 17 July, Wilmington led the three other ships to El Guayabal, 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Manzanillo, Cuba
, near Santa Cruz del Sur
. Upon their arrival at Guayabal, the warships found Scorpion, Hornet
, and Osceola. During the afternoon hours, the four commanding officers met in conference and formulated preliminary plans for an expedition to Manzanillo to destroy the Spanish shipping there
.
Accordingly, at 0300 on 18 July, the American ships set out from Guayabal and set course for Manzanillo. At 0645, the group split up according to plan: Wilmington and Helena
made for the north channel; Hist
, Hornet, and Wompatuck for the south; Scorpion and Osceola for the central harbor entrance. Fifteen minutes later, the two largest ships entered the harbor with black smoke billowing from their tall funnels and gunners ready at their weapons.
Taking particular care not to damage the city beyond the waterfront, the American gunners directed their gunfire solely at the Spanish ships and took a heavy toll of the steamers congregated there. Spanish supply steamer Purissima Concepcion caught fire alongside a dock and sank at her moorings; gunboat Maria Ponton blew up when her magazines exploded; gunboats Estrella and Delgado Perrado also burned and sank while two transports, Gloria and Jose Garcia, went down as well. Two small gunboats, Guantanamo and Guardian were driven ashore and shot to pieces.
Beyond the effective range of Spanish shore batteries, the Americans emerged unscathed, leaving columns of smoke to mark the pyres of the enemy's supply and patrol vessels. The twenty-minute engagement ended with the attackers withdrawing to sea to resume routine patrol duties with the North Atlantic Squadron for the duration of hostilities.
, for Norfolk. Arriving at Hampton Roads
on 31 October, the ship put into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
on the following day for further repairs, overhaul, and preparation for foreign service.
With the reestablishment of the South Atlantic Squadron, Wilmington got underway on Christmas Eve and set her course for Puerto Rico
. She arrived at San Juan
on 30 December 1898 but resumed her voyage south on 2 January 1899 and proceeded via Castries
, Saint Lucia
, to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
, where she made port on the 15 January.
Six days later, the gunboat left Trinidad behind and pointed her straight stem toward Venezuela. On the 23d, the ship arrived off Barima Point
and stood up the Santa Catalina River, which led to the main branch of the Orinoco
. After a brief stop at the town of Las Tablas
, Wilmington put into Ciudad Bolívar
on the 24th where the mayor, the American consul, and a number of city officials came on board the ship for a visit. Diplomatic affairs occupied the officers, with the commanding officer vsiting the provincial governor and collector of customs. The ship was "full-dressed" with flags and appropriate ceremonial trappings on 28 January when she welcomed the citizens of the city on board. Two days later, the gunboat departed Ciudad Bolívar
to return to Port-of-Spain.
She was based at Trinidad through February and into March. During this time, she visited Guanta in northern Venezuela
; Georgetown, British Guiana
; and proceeded up the Surinam River
to Paramaribo
, Dutch Guiana
.
Departing Paramaribo on 6 March, she commenced the initial leg of her cruise up the Amazon River. Navigable for nearly 2300 miles (3,701.5 km) of its 3200 miles (5,149.9 km) length during the rainy season, the Amazon and its verdant banks presented the ship's company with interesting and unusual flora and fauna as she proceeded upriver. Calling at Pará
and Manaus
, Brazil, en route, the ship arrived at the Peruvian border at Leticia, Peru, on 11 April. Heaving-to, the gunboat dropped anchor off Leticia to secure permission from Peruvian authorities to proceed further up the Amazon. With permission granted, Wilmington again got underway and arrived at Iquitos on 13 April. While numerous official calls were exchanged during the visit, the gunboat also acquired a small menagerie: three monkeys and one tiger cat which were presented to the ship by the Peruvians.
On 18 April, the gunboat departed Iquitos, headed back down stream, and reached Rio de Janeiro
on 28 May, completing a 4600 miles (7,403 km) round-trip voyage on the Amazon. On 6 June, Wilmington entered the Brazilian government drydock at Rio de Janeiro
for routine bottom cleaning and remained there until 4 July when she got underway and cruised south along the coast visiting Brazilian and Uruguayan ports. She arrived at Montevideo
on 16 July and spent one month operating out of that port.
On 17 August, the ship departed Montevideo
. However, at 1750 the following day, the port propeller shaft failed, resulting in a change of course back to Montevideo. After remaining in the Uruguayan port for the days following her arrival on 22 August, she departed on 3 September, steaming by her starboard engine only, for Buenos Aires
.
Arriving on 4 September, Wilmington broke the Argentine
flag at the main and her saluting guns barked out a 21-gun salute to the Argentine nation as the gunboat entered port. After the usual boarding calls and shore visits by the American officers to the American charge d'affairs and consul, the gunboat entered the drydock at Buenos Aires on 8 September.
Unshipping the port propeller shaft and landing the propeller and a section of the shaft on 16 September, the ship left the drydock the following day with the assistance of two tugs and proceeded to basin number 4 at the Brazilian navy yard.
Wilmington remained incapacitated at the basin until 18 January 1900, when she was moved to Ensenada, Argentina. Eleven days later, cruiser Chicago
passed a towline to the gunboat, and the two ships set out for Montevideo. On 9 February, steamship Corunda arrived with new shafts from the Brooklyn Navy Yard
. Subsequently, the gunboat returned to Buenos Aires, under tow from cruiser Montgomery
, and entered drydock on 3 March 1900, nearly six months after having first been crippled by the damaged propeller shaft.
Once the repairs were finally corrected after dockyard overhaul and a trial period, Wilmington continued cruising on the South American station through the summer and early fall of 1900. While the ship was en route to Rio de Janeiro on 10 May 1900, her inclinometer recorded 45-degree rolls in each direction while traversing heavy, choppy seas. On 16 October 1900, the ship departed Pernambuco, Brazil, bound for the Far East.
Arriving at Gibraltar
on 3 November, the ship pushed on across the Mediterranean and transited the Suez Canal
early in December, arriving at Port Said
on the 4th. On 21 January 1901, the gunboat made port at Manila
, in the Philippines, to commence her Asiatic service.
Departing from Cavite
on 10 May, the ship headed for the China coast and called at Hong Kong
on the 13th. Still nominally attached to the South Atlantic Fleet, Wilmington served in Chinese waters through 1904 on routine cruises showing the stars and stripes along the China coast at ports such as Shantou
, Xiamen
, Fuzhou
, Shanghai
, and Hong Kong
. On 30 June 1904, the ship was decommissioned at Cavite.
On 2 April 1906, the ship was recommissioned there, with Comdr. William L. Rodgers in command. For the next two years, the ship served off the China coast, carrying out her routine cruising and "showing the flag." On 17 December 1908, the gunboat commenced her river service, on the Yangtze River
as far as Hankou
, with the Yangtze Patrol
. Ordinary activities included the usual calls and port visits to such places as Hong Kong, Canton, and Swatow. She conducted target practice after constructing her own target rafts and laying out a firing area. On one occasion, Chinese fishermen decided that the raft presented a good perch from which to fish. Repeated attempts by the gun-boaters to shoo away the fishermen only ended in frustration. Finally, as the ship steamed slowly toward the area, she fired a few blank rounds purposely "over", and the squatters promptly abandoned their erstwhile fishing vantage point.
After repairs while stationed at Hong Kong from 30 June 1912 to 30 June 1914, the ship resumed her routine cruises, attached to the Far Eastern Squadron, Asiatic Fleet
, and continued such duty for the next five years.
, Wilmington received a cable informing the ship that Germany
and the United States were at war. Events in the Atlantic had resulted in the severing of relations and the commencement of hostilities. In the Far East, the neutral Chinese greeted the news by issuing terms of internment to all belligerent shipping on 5 May. While Palos
(River Gunboat No. 1), Monocacy
(River Gunboat No. 2), Quiros
(Gunboat No. 40), Samar
(Gunboat No. 41), and Villalobos
(Gunboat No. 42) were directed to stay and be interned, Wilmington got underway on the 6th, within the stated 48-hour limit, and made for the Philippines.
Arriving at Manila on 11 May, the gunboat moored alongside Brooklyn
(Cruiser No. 3). Proceeding first to Cavite and then to Olongapo City
, the ship commenced patrol duties in the Philippine Islands, off Corregidor Island's
north channel. Operating from Mariveles Bay
, the gunboat cruised on patrol duty in the Manila Bay
area through the fall of 1917, with occasional overhauls at Cavite. She helped to protect the Philippines for the duration of hostilities, intercepting and escorting various vessels entering Philippine waters while carrying out regular drills and exercises. She remained in the archipelago into February 1919, when she again steamed to Shanghai, China.
The gunboat remained at Shanghai as station ship from 11 February to 24 June, when she got underway for Hankou
. Five days later, the ship dropped anchor off the American consulate at that port. On 11 July, after weeks of official calls and routine business, Wilmington was fouled by a raft of logs; and two Chinese raftsmen fell overboard into the muddy river. The gunboat rescued the two men while other members of the crew proceeded to cut away the log raft.
On 2 June of that year, the ship departed Olongapo and set her course for the east coast of the United States. En route, she called at Singapore
; Colombo, Ceylon
; Bombay
and Karachi
; Aden
, Arabia; Port Said, Egypt
; Gibraltar
; and Ponta Delgada, in the Azores
. On 20 September 1922, the ship dropped anchor off the Portsmouth (N.H.) Navy Yard.
The ship remained there in an unassigned state until July 1923, when she was ordered to join the 3d Regiment, United States Navy Reserve
Force, 9th Naval District, for the states of Ohio and Kentucky. After repairs and overhaul, Wilmington departed Portsmouth on 19 July, bound for Toledo, Ohio
.
The ship anchored off Quebec
, Canada, on the 25th and proceeded on toward Montreal on the following day, arriving on 27 July. After passing through the Soulanges and Cornwall Canals, the gunboat proceeded up the St. Lawrence River to Kingston, Canada, before setting course for the Welland Canal. After coaling at Port Colborne, Wilmington entered Lake Erie, stopped briefly at Cleveland, and arrived off Toledo on 1 August 1923.
Wilmington served as a training ship on Lake Erie
— operating out of Toledo and calling at Cleveland and Buffalo—well into 1923. On 2 September of that year, the ship became inactive as her men were released from their training period. She remained in this state until 1 June 1924, when a large draft of reservists reported on board for training.
During that month, she operated in company with Paducah (Gunboat No. 18), Dubuque
(PG-17), and the unclassified vessel Wilmette. On 10 June, the commanding officer, 7 officers, and 55 men left the ship at Cleveland to participate in a parade in conjunction with the Republician Party's national convention. The following day, Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur came on board to inspect the ship.
Wilmington remained as training vessel on the Great Lakes for reservists through the 1930s, occasionally calling at Chicago
, as well as her normal ports of call — Toledo, Buffalo, and Cleveland. During the winter months, she was laid up at her home base in preparation for spring and summer cruising.
, the ship cruised on Lake Erie
between Toledo and Cleveland
until the autumn of 1942, when she headed down the St. Lawrence River toward the Atlantic. She arrived at Quebec on 24 November and began voyage repairs and received a 5 inches (127 mm) gun which was installed forward. Dover departed Quebec on 17 December and reached the Gut of Canso the next day.
The ship operated in the vicinity of Canso and Gaspe Bay from 18 December and put into Halifax, Nova Scotia
, on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, 1942, Dover escorted Convoy HF-42 out of the harbor, bound for Boston, and arrived with her charges at the Massachusetts
port on 27 December.
Following this duty, she put into New York, where she remained until 27 January 1943, at which date she turned her bow south and headed for the warmer climes of the gulf coast. Arriving at Miami
on 1 February, she soon departed and made port at Gulfport, Mississippi
, three days later.
Subsequently operating under orders of the Commandant, 8th Naval District, at New Orleans, La., Dover served as an armed guard training ship, performing this duty through the remainder of the war.
Decommissioned on 20 December 1945, she was struck from the Navy list on 8 January 1946 and sold for scrap on 30 December 1946.
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company; launched on 19 October 1895; sponsored by Mrs. Anne B. Gray; and commissioned on 13 May 1897 with Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Chapman C. Todd in command.
History
The new gunboat conducted sea trials and underwent training off the east coast and joined the North Atlantic Squadron at Key WestKey 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....
. Wilmington trained and underwent exercises in gunnery and tactics in late 1897 and early 1898 as tension between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
was rising steadily closer to open hostilities.
Spanish-American War
On 21 April 1898, two months after the sinking of battleship MaineUSS Maine (ACR-1)
USS Maine was the United States Navy's second commissioned pre-dreadnought battleship, although she was originally classified as an armored cruiser. She is best known for her catastrophic loss in Havana harbor. Maine had been sent to Havana, Cuba to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt...
in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
harbor, 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...
, the United States declared war on Spain. Meanwhile, the Navy had moved its warships into position to attack Spanish possessions in the Far East and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. In May she participated in the Second Battle of Cardenas
Battle of Cárdenas
The Second Battle of Cárdenas was a secondary naval engagement of the Spanish–American War fought on 11 May of 1898 in the port of Cárdenas, Cuba, between an American squadron of 5 ships under Captain Chapman C. Todd and 3 small Spanish vessels under Mariano Mateu. The battle resulted in an...
and was defeated but at the Bombardment of Cárdenas the next morning, she sank two Spanish gunboats and two schooners without a fight. On 15 July 1898, Wilmington arrived off Cape Cruz, near Manzanillo, Cuba
Manzanillo, Cuba
Manzanillo is a municipality and city in the Granma Province of Cuba.It is a port city in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba on the Gulf of Guacanayabo, near the delta of the Cauto River...
, and joined Wompatuck on station with the blockading forces.
The following day, Wilmington overhauled two small charcoal-burning fishing boats off the harbor mouth and questioned their Cuban crews. From the brief interrogation, the Americans learned that a submarine cable connected Santa Cruz and Jucaro. The gunboat then proceeded to the spot mentioned by the fishermen and lowered a grappling hook. Finding the cable, Wilmington cut it and made for Cuarto Reales to join Helena (Gunboat No. 9), Wompatuck, and Hist.
On 17 July, Wilmington led the three other ships to El Guayabal, 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Manzanillo, Cuba
Manzanillo, Cuba
Manzanillo is a municipality and city in the Granma Province of Cuba.It is a port city in the Granma Province in eastern Cuba on the Gulf of Guacanayabo, near the delta of the Cauto River...
, near Santa Cruz del Sur
Santa Cruz del Sur
Santa Cruz del Sur is a town and municipality in Cuba. It is located in Camagüey Province south of the provincial capital of Camagüey. It lies on the Caribbean coast....
. Upon their arrival at Guayabal, the warships found Scorpion, Hornet
USS Hornet (1898)
The sixth USS Hornet was a gunboat in the United States Navy. Hornet, the former yacht Alicia, was built by Harlan and Hollingsworth, Wilmington, Delaware, in 1890; purchased from Henry Morrison Flagler on 6 April 1898; and commissioned at New York 12 April 1898, Lieutenant James Meredith Helm in...
, and Osceola. During the afternoon hours, the four commanding officers met in conference and formulated preliminary plans for an expedition to Manzanillo to destroy the Spanish shipping there
Third Battle of Manzanillo
The Third Battle of Manzanillo was fought in the harbor of Manzanillo, Cuba on July 18, 1898. A large squadron of the United States Navy consisting of gunboats and auxiliaries attacked and cleared the harbor of a comparable force of Spanish vessels in the third largest naval battle of the Spanish...
.
Accordingly, at 0300 on 18 July, the American ships set out from Guayabal and set course for Manzanillo. At 0645, the group split up according to plan: Wilmington and Helena
USS Helena (PG-9)
USS Helena was a gunboat of the United States Navy that participated in the Spanish-American War and was later stationed in the Far East for many years....
made for the north channel; Hist
USS Hist (1895)
USS Hist, formerly Thespia, was built in 1895. She was purchased at Norfolk from David Dows, Jr., on 22 April 1898 for use in the Spanish-American War. Hist commissioned 13 May at New York, Lt. Lucien Young in command....
, Hornet, and Wompatuck for the south; Scorpion and Osceola for the central harbor entrance. Fifteen minutes later, the two largest ships entered the harbor with black smoke billowing from their tall funnels and gunners ready at their weapons.
Taking particular care not to damage the city beyond the waterfront, the American gunners directed their gunfire solely at the Spanish ships and took a heavy toll of the steamers congregated there. Spanish supply steamer Purissima Concepcion caught fire alongside a dock and sank at her moorings; gunboat Maria Ponton blew up when her magazines exploded; gunboats Estrella and Delgado Perrado also burned and sank while two transports, Gloria and Jose Garcia, went down as well. Two small gunboats, Guantanamo and Guardian were driven ashore and shot to pieces.
Beyond the effective range of Spanish shore batteries, the Americans emerged unscathed, leaving columns of smoke to mark the pyres of the enemy's supply and patrol vessels. The twenty-minute engagement ended with the attackers withdrawing to sea to resume routine patrol duties with the North Atlantic Squadron for the duration of hostilities.
Post Spanish-American War
Late in the summer, the gunboat headed home and was drydocked at Boston from 24 September to 3 October. Following repairs, the ship departed the Massachusetts coast on 20 October, bound, via Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, for Norfolk. Arriving at Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 31 October, the ship put into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
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...
on the following day for further repairs, overhaul, and preparation for foreign service.
With the reestablishment of the South Atlantic Squadron, Wilmington got underway on Christmas Eve and set her course for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. She arrived at San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
on 30 December 1898 but resumed her voyage south on 2 January 1899 and proceeded via Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, where she made port on the 15 January.
Six days later, the gunboat left Trinidad behind and pointed her straight stem toward Venezuela. On the 23d, the ship arrived off Barima Point
Guayana Esequiba
Guayana Esequiba is a territory administered by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela. It includes the territory between the Cuyuni River to the west and the Essequibo River to the east...
and stood up the Santa Catalina River, which led to the main branch of the Orinoco
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
. After a brief stop at the town of Las Tablas
Las Tablas
Las Tablas is the capital of the Panamanian province of Los Santos. It is located a few kilometers inland from the Gulf of Panama on the Azuero Peninsula. Las Tablas is a recognized national center of Panamanian folk: Art, music, gastronomy, architecture, culture and literature...
, Wilmington put into Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
on the 24th where the mayor, the American consul, and a number of city officials came on board the ship for a visit. Diplomatic affairs occupied the officers, with the commanding officer vsiting the provincial governor and collector of customs. The ship was "full-dressed" with flags and appropriate ceremonial trappings on 28 January when she welcomed the citizens of the city on board. Two days later, the gunboat departed Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar
Ciudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
to return to Port-of-Spain.
She was based at Trinidad through February and into March. During this time, she visited Guanta in northern Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
; Georgetown, British Guiana
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
; and proceeded up the Surinam River
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
to Paramaribo
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
, Dutch Guiana
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
.
Departing Paramaribo on 6 March, she commenced the initial leg of her cruise up the Amazon River. Navigable for nearly 2300 miles (3,701.5 km) of its 3200 miles (5,149.9 km) length during the rainy season, the Amazon and its verdant banks presented the ship's company with interesting and unusual flora and fauna as she proceeded upriver. Calling at Pará
Pará
Pará is a state in the north of Brazil. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest it also borders Guyana and Suriname, and to the northeast it borders the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Belém.Pará is the most populous state...
and Manaus
Manaus
Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....
, Brazil, en route, the ship arrived at the Peruvian border at Leticia, Peru, on 11 April. Heaving-to, the gunboat dropped anchor off Leticia to secure permission from Peruvian authorities to proceed further up the Amazon. With permission granted, Wilmington again got underway and arrived at Iquitos on 13 April. While numerous official calls were exchanged during the visit, the gunboat also acquired a small menagerie: three monkeys and one tiger cat which were presented to the ship by the Peruvians.
On 18 April, the gunboat departed Iquitos, headed back down stream, and reached Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on 28 May, completing a 4600 miles (7,403 km) round-trip voyage on the Amazon. On 6 June, Wilmington entered the Brazilian government drydock at Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
for routine bottom cleaning and remained there until 4 July when she got underway and cruised south along the coast visiting Brazilian and Uruguayan ports. She arrived at Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
on 16 July and spent one month operating out of that port.
On 17 August, the ship departed Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
. However, at 1750 the following day, the port propeller shaft failed, resulting in a change of course back to Montevideo. After remaining in the Uruguayan port for the days following her arrival on 22 August, she departed on 3 September, steaming by her starboard engine only, for Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Arriving on 4 September, Wilmington broke the Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
flag at the main and her saluting guns barked out a 21-gun salute to the Argentine nation as the gunboat entered port. After the usual boarding calls and shore visits by the American officers to the American charge d'affairs and consul, the gunboat entered the drydock at Buenos Aires on 8 September.
Unshipping the port propeller shaft and landing the propeller and a section of the shaft on 16 September, the ship left the drydock the following day with the assistance of two tugs and proceeded to basin number 4 at the Brazilian navy yard.
Wilmington remained incapacitated at the basin until 18 January 1900, when she was moved to Ensenada, Argentina. Eleven days later, cruiser Chicago
USS Chicago (1885)
The first USS Chicago was a protected cruiser of the United States Navy, the largest of the original three authorized by Congress for the "New Navy"....
passed a towline to the gunboat, and the two ships set out for Montevideo. On 9 February, steamship Corunda arrived with new shafts from the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
. Subsequently, the gunboat returned to Buenos Aires, under tow from cruiser Montgomery
USS Montgomery (C-9)
The fourth USS Montgomery was a protected cruiser in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War. She was named for Montgomery, Alabama....
, and entered drydock on 3 March 1900, nearly six months after having first been crippled by the damaged propeller shaft.
Once the repairs were finally corrected after dockyard overhaul and a trial period, Wilmington continued cruising on the South American station through the summer and early fall of 1900. While the ship was en route to Rio de Janeiro on 10 May 1900, her inclinometer recorded 45-degree rolls in each direction while traversing heavy, choppy seas. On 16 October 1900, the ship departed Pernambuco, Brazil, bound for the Far East.
Arriving at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 3 November, the ship pushed on across the Mediterranean and transited the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
early in December, arriving at Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
on the 4th. On 21 January 1901, the gunboat made port at Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, in the Philippines, to commence her Asiatic service.
Departing from Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
on 10 May, the ship headed for the China coast and called at Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on the 13th. Still nominally attached to the South Atlantic Fleet, Wilmington served in Chinese waters through 1904 on routine cruises showing the stars and stripes along the China coast at ports such as Shantou
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
, Xiamen
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
, Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. On 30 June 1904, the ship was decommissioned at Cavite.
On 2 April 1906, the ship was recommissioned there, with Comdr. William L. Rodgers in command. For the next two years, the ship served off the China coast, carrying out her routine cruising and "showing the flag." On 17 December 1908, the gunboat commenced her river service, on the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
as far as Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
, with the Yangtze Patrol
Yangtze Patrol
The Yangtze Patrol, from 1854 to 1945, was a prolonged naval operation to protect American interests in the Yangtze River's treaty ports. Initially the patrol was carried out by ships of the United States Navy's East India and Asiatic Squadrons. In 1922, the "YangPat" was established as a formal...
. Ordinary activities included the usual calls and port visits to such places as Hong Kong, Canton, and Swatow. She conducted target practice after constructing her own target rafts and laying out a firing area. On one occasion, Chinese fishermen decided that the raft presented a good perch from which to fish. Repeated attempts by the gun-boaters to shoo away the fishermen only ended in frustration. Finally, as the ship steamed slowly toward the area, she fired a few blank rounds purposely "over", and the squatters promptly abandoned their erstwhile fishing vantage point.
After repairs while stationed at Hong Kong from 30 June 1912 to 30 June 1914, the ship resumed her routine cruises, attached to the Far Eastern Squadron, Asiatic Fleet
United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was part of the U.S. Navy. Preceding the World War II era, until 1942, the fleet protected the Philippines.Originally the Asiatic Squadron, it was upgraded to fleet status in 1902. In 1907, the fleet became the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. However, on 28...
, and continued such duty for the next five years.
World War I
On 7 April 1917, while at ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Wilmington received a cable informing the ship that Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the United States were at war. Events in the Atlantic had resulted in the severing of relations and the commencement of hostilities. In the Far East, the neutral Chinese greeted the news by issuing terms of internment to all belligerent shipping on 5 May. While Palos
USS Palos (PG-16)
The second USS Palos , a shallow draft gunboat built for service on the Yangtze River, China, was pre-constructed at Mare Island Navy Yard in 1912; dismantled and shipped to Shanghai, China: laid down by the Shanghai Dock and Engineering Co., on 28 April 1913; launched on 23 April 1914; sponsored...
(River Gunboat No. 1), Monocacy
USS Monocacy (PG-20)
USS Monocacy was a shallow draft gunboat built for service on the Yangtze River. It was pre-constructed at Mare Island Navy Yard in 1912 and then dismantled and shipped to Shanghai, China. She was laid down by the Shanghai Dock & Engineering Co. 28 April 1913. One year later, or 27 April 1914 she...
(River Gunboat No. 2), Quiros
USS Quiros (PG-40)
USS Quiros , a schooner rigged composite gunboat, was laid down for the Spanish Navy by the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company, Hong Kong, China in June 1894; launched in early 1895; captured by the U.S. Army at Manila in 1898; acquired by the Navy 21 February 1900; and commissioned at Cavite Navy...
(Gunboat No. 40), Samar
USS Samar (PG-41)
USS Samar was a gunboat of the United States Navy. She was initially built for the Spanish Navy, but was captured during the Spanish-American War and taken into service with the US Navy .-Spanish career:...
(Gunboat No. 41), and Villalobos
USS Villalobos (PG-42)
USS Villalobos was a steel screw gunboat originally built for the Spanish Navy as the SPS Villalobos but captured by the United States Army in 1898 during the Spanish-American War and commissioned into the United States Navy in 1900...
(Gunboat No. 42) were directed to stay and be interned, Wilmington got underway on the 6th, within the stated 48-hour limit, and made for the Philippines.
Arriving at Manila on 11 May, the gunboat moored alongside Brooklyn
USS Brooklyn (CA-3)
The second USS Brooklyn was a United States Navy armored cruiser.She was launched on 2 October 1895 by William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; sponsored by Miss Ida May Schieren; and commissioned on 1 December 1896, Captain Francis Augustus Cook in...
(Cruiser No. 3). Proceeding first to Cavite and then to Olongapo City
Olongapo City
The City of Olongapo is a highly urbanized city located in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 227,270 people in 50,300 households.-History:...
, the ship commenced patrol duties in the Philippine Islands, off Corregidor Island's
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
north channel. Operating from Mariveles Bay
Mariveles, Bataan
Mariveles is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 102,844 people in 19,460 households...
, the gunboat cruised on patrol duty in the Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
area through the fall of 1917, with occasional overhauls at Cavite. She helped to protect the Philippines for the duration of hostilities, intercepting and escorting various vessels entering Philippine waters while carrying out regular drills and exercises. She remained in the archipelago into February 1919, when she again steamed to Shanghai, China.
The gunboat remained at Shanghai as station ship from 11 February to 24 June, when she got underway for Hankou
Hankou
Hankou was one of the three cities whose merging formed modern-day Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers where the Han falls into the Yangtze...
. Five days later, the ship dropped anchor off the American consulate at that port. On 11 July, after weeks of official calls and routine business, Wilmington was fouled by a raft of logs; and two Chinese raftsmen fell overboard into the muddy river. The gunboat rescued the two men while other members of the crew proceeded to cut away the log raft.
Inter-war period
The ship continued routine patrol and "flag-showing" duties through 1919 and 1920 and into 1921. On 8 July 1921, the starboard propeller shaft parted, and the propeller was carried away. Proceeding on one engine, the ship finally arrived at Shanghai on 22 July and entered drydock. Wilmington operated on the Yangtze through December, when she headed south for duty along the China coast until heading to the Philippines where she operated into the late spring of 1922.On 2 June of that year, the ship departed Olongapo and set her course for the east coast of the United States. En route, she called at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
; Colombo, Ceylon
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
; Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
; Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, Arabia; Port Said, Egypt
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
; Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
; and Ponta Delgada, in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. On 20 September 1922, the ship dropped anchor off the Portsmouth (N.H.) Navy Yard.
The ship remained there in an unassigned state until July 1923, when she was ordered to join the 3d Regiment, United States Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
Force, 9th Naval District, for the states of Ohio and Kentucky. After repairs and overhaul, Wilmington departed Portsmouth on 19 July, bound for Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
.
The ship anchored off Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada, on the 25th and proceeded on toward Montreal on the following day, arriving on 27 July. After passing through the Soulanges and Cornwall Canals, the gunboat proceeded up the St. Lawrence River to Kingston, Canada, before setting course for the Welland Canal. After coaling at Port Colborne, Wilmington entered Lake Erie, stopped briefly at Cleveland, and arrived off Toledo on 1 August 1923.
Wilmington served as a training ship on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
— operating out of Toledo and calling at Cleveland and Buffalo—well into 1923. On 2 September of that year, the ship became inactive as her men were released from their training period. She remained in this state until 1 June 1924, when a large draft of reservists reported on board for training.
During that month, she operated in company with Paducah (Gunboat No. 18), Dubuque
USS Dubuque (PG-17)
USS Dubuque was a United States Navy patrol combatant ship that fought in both World War I and World War II. She was named for Dubuque, Iowa....
(PG-17), and the unclassified vessel Wilmette. On 10 June, the commanding officer, 7 officers, and 55 men left the ship at Cleveland to participate in a parade in conjunction with the Republician Party's national convention. The following day, Secretary of the Navy Curtis D. Wilbur came on board to inspect the ship.
Wilmington remained as training vessel on the Great Lakes for reservists through the 1930s, occasionally calling at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, as well as her normal ports of call — Toledo, Buffalo, and Cleveland. During the winter months, she was laid up at her home base in preparation for spring and summer cruising.
World War II
On 27 January 1941, the gunboat was designated IX-30 and renamed Dover. Based at Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, the ship cruised on Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
between Toledo and Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
until the autumn of 1942, when she headed down the St. Lawrence River toward the Atlantic. She arrived at Quebec on 24 November and began voyage repairs and received a 5 inches (127 mm) gun which was installed forward. Dover departed Quebec on 17 December and reached the Gut of Canso the next day.
The ship operated in the vicinity of Canso and Gaspe Bay from 18 December and put into Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...
, on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, 1942, Dover escorted Convoy HF-42 out of the harbor, bound for Boston, and arrived with her charges at the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
port on 27 December.
Following this duty, she put into New York, where she remained until 27 January 1943, at which date she turned her bow south and headed for the warmer climes of the gulf coast. Arriving at Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on 1 February, she soon departed and made port at Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
, three days later.
Subsequently operating under orders of the Commandant, 8th Naval District, at New Orleans, La., Dover served as an armed guard training ship, performing this duty through the remainder of the war.
Decommissioned on 20 December 1945, she was struck from the Navy list on 8 January 1946 and sold for scrap on 30 December 1946.