First Time She Was in Battle -- July 28, 2012

The Battleship Oregon was built by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco.  Oregon served in the fleet that destroyed the Spanish fleet at Santiago de Cuba. In 1914 she visited the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Starting in 1925, she was preserved at Portland, Oregon as a museum ship. When World War II broke out, she was scrapped. 

From the 23-November-1896 San Francisco Call. William A Coulter did many maritime drawings for the newspaper. Click on the image to see a larger version.

FIRST TIME SHE WAS IN BATTLE 

The Oregon's Boat Went Down Before a Freight Barge. 

AN UNEQUAL CONTEST. 

Who Was to Blame Remains to Be Seen -— An Investigation in Order. 

Several of Uncle Sam's men had a narrow escape yesterday. They were on their way in the provision-boat for the line-of-battle ship Oregon, when the river steamer Alvira with a barge in tow, came along and ran them down. No lives were lost, but the boat and provisions went to the bottom of the bay.

The Oregon's launch was on its way to the warship and the Alvira, with the barge Orient in tow, was on her way to the Mission mud flats. The man-of-warsmen thought they could pass in front of the river steamer and found out their mistake too late. Before the boat in tow of the launch could get out of the way the barge Orient was on top of it and everything went out of sight. Two of the men were picked up by Henry Peterson in the launch Amy, and Captain Leale of the Caroline picked up another. The latter boat did a smart piece of work, and had a boat in the water and on the scene three minutes after the accident. The cook on the Alvira threw a life-buoy with such precision that it encircled a Chinese member of the provision crew who bobbed up after the barge had cleared the way.

The officers and crew of the Oregon missed their fresh meat for breakfast and dinner, but later a new boat was sent ashore and a fresh supply secured.