USS New York (Armored Cruiser #2, later CA-2)
Renamed Saratoga and then Rochester
The armored-cruiser, USS New York (Armored Cruiser #2), was commissioned on August 1, 1893, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her initial assignments were with the South Atlantic Squadron, in the West Indies, and the North Atlantic Squadron. In 1895, New York represented the United States during the opening of the Kiel Canal in Germany. Rejoining the North Atlantic Squadron, she served as the flagship of the squadron and led the warships against the Spanish Navy in the Battle of Santiago on July 3, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. Following the war, New York was assigned off Latin America, in Asiatic waters, in the eastern Pacific, in the Atlantic, and off Europe. In February 1911, she was renamed Saratoga and was subsequently renamed Rochester in December 1917. During World War I, Rochester patrolled and protected Allied convoy ships in the Atlantic. Following the war, she guided the Trans-Atlantic flight of the NC aircraft in May 1919. In July 1920, she was redesignated CA-2. During her time in the Caribbean area, she assisted numerous countries such as Haiti and Nicaragua until April 1932 when she became the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. Serving for only a year, Rochester was decommissioned and laid up at Olongapo, Philippines, until scuttled in December 1941 to avoid capture by the Japanese.
A model of New York used to be on display in the Spanish-American War section at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Bldg. 76, until 2022.
Image: NH 45129: USS New York (Armored Cruiser #2), during the Spanish-American War Victory Fleet Review, August 1898. NHHC Photograph Collection.
