---

The ships of the U.S. Navy were powered by coal. As the U.S. did not have coaling stations around the world, and because it could be inopertune to have ships leave  therir stations to get to a coaling base, the navy moved quickly to secure a sufficient number of colliers to serve its fleets. Colliers, or coaling vessels, had to be able to carry a sufficient amount of coal and the means to get that coal aboard naval vessels.

Also, since the colliers purchased were sufficiently powerful, they were equipped with tow lines to enable them to tow damaged naval vessels should the need arise. Additionally the colliers were outfitted with a defensive guu battery.

ABARENDA  

Click here for a crew roster of the ABARENDA

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
4670 tons	314 ft. x 42 ft. x 22 ft. 6 in.	1050 hp	9 knots	four 3-pounders, later replaced by four 6-pounders	3843 tons	9 officers + 60 enlisted men

The ABARENDA was a steel vessel built in 1892 in Newcastle, England by the S. B. Edwards Company. She served the Eastern Squadron the in Atlantic . She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on May 20, 1898 under the command of Lt. Cmdr. M. B. Buford. She carried coal between Virginia and Santiago and Guantanamo Bay. During the Philippine American War she saw service in the Pacific, helping to establish a coaling station at Samoa. On January 21, 1926 she was stricken from the navy rolls, and was sold to the S. R. Paterno company of Manila, P.I. The ship was renamed ANTONIO and was used by Madrigal & Company of Manila until she was scrapped in 1934.

The USS ALEXANDER taken about week after her commissioning. Though she is a naval
vessel, she retains her company markings on her funnel.

ALEXANDER

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
6181 tons	330ft. x 43 ft. x 23 ft. 1 in.	1029 hp	9 knots	two 3-pounders	4200 tons	8 officers + 60 enlisted men

The ALEXANDER was a steel vessel built in 1894 in Stockton-on-Tees, England by the Richardson Duck Company. She served the Eastern Squadron in the Atlantic . She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on June 1, 1898.


BRUTUS

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
	321ft. 5 in. x 41 ft. 5 in. x 23 ft. 3 in.	1200 hp	10 knots	two 6-pounders		9 officers + 55 enlisted men

The BRUTUS was a steel vessel built in 1894 in South Shields, England by J. Readhead & Sons. She served the Asiatic Squadron the Pacific . She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on May 27, 1898.


CAESAR

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
5016 tons	310 ft. x 44 ft. x 19 ft. 6 in.	1500 hp	10 knots	two 3-pounders, two 1-pounders		6 officers + 48 enlisted men

The CAESAR was a steel vessel built in 1896 in Stockton-on-Tees, England by the Ropner & Sons. She served the North Atlantic Fleet. She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on May 13, 1898.


CASSIUS

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
	351 ft. 1.25 in. x 43 ft. x 26 ft.			two Rapid-fire Colts	2897 tons	8 officers + 68 enlisted men

The CASSIUS was a steel vessel built in 1883 in Hamburg, Germany by the Reiherstieg Shipyard. She served the Eastern Squadron in the Atlantic. She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on June 6, 1898.


HANNIBAL

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
4291 tons	264 ft. 6 in. x 39 ft. 3 in. x 17 ft. 8 in.	1100 hp	10 knots	two Dudley-Sims guns		8 officers + 42 enlisted men

The HANNIBAL was a steel vessel built in 1898 in Sunderland, England by J Blumer & Co. She served the North Atlantic Fleet. She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on June 7, 1898.


HECTOR

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
	351 ft. 1.25 in. x 43 ft. x 26 ft.		10 knots	two 6-pounders	2600 tons	7 officers + 74 enlisted men

The HECTOR was a steel vessel built in 1883 in Newcastle, England by Wigham, Richardson & Co. She was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on June 30, 1898.


JUSTIN

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
3300 tons	278 ft. x 39 ft. x 19 ft. 6 in.		8.5 knots	two 6-pounders	2600 tons	6 officers + 47 enlisted men

The JUSTIN was a steel vessel built in 1891 in Middleboro-on-Tees, England by R. Dixon & Co. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on April 27, 1898.


LEBANON

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
	249 ft. x 36 ft. x 17 ft. 9 in.		10 knots	four 6-pounders	1800 tons	5 officers + 53 enlisted men

The LEBANON was an iron vessel built in 1894 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA by William Cramp & Sons. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on April 16, 1898.

The USS LEONIDAS from 1911. Visble on her deck is the main mast of the USS MAINE,
which was returned from Cuba and placed in Arlington National Cemetery.

LEONIDAS

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
4242 tons	261 ft. 6 in. x 39 ft. 2.5 in. x 17 ft. 8 in.	1000 hp	13 knots	two 3-pounders		7 officers + 45 enlisted men

The LEONIDAS was a steel vessel built in 1898 in Sunderland, England by S. P. Austin & Son. Ltd. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on May 21, 1898.


MARCELLUS

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
	282 ft. 6 in. x 35 ft. 10 in. x 20 ft. 6 in.	1200 hp	11 knots	two 6-pounders	2400 tons

The LEONIDAS was an iron vessel built in 1879 in Sunderland, England by Mounsey & Foster.


NANSHAN (Click here for a full article on NANSHAN)
 

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
5059 tons	238 ft. x 39 ft. 1 in. x 21 ft. 3 in.		11 knots	None

The NANSHAN was a steel vessel built in 1896 in Grangemouth, Scoland by the Grangemouth Dockyard Co. She served the Asiatic Squadron and was present in Manila Bay during the Battle of Manila Bay. When she was purchased by Commodore Dewey the British cew of about 45 remained with the ship, and only one U.S. Navy officer was placed aboard for co-ordination. She was deliberately left un-armed, all in a effort to work around the neutrality laws to allow for Dewey to purchase coal as needed.


NERO

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
	312 ft. x 41 ft.	1000 hp	10 knots	Four 3 in. Breechloading Rifles		9 officers + crew

The NERO was a steel vessel built in 1895 in Sunderland, England by J. L. Thompson & Son. Ltd. She served the Asiatic Squadron, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1898.


POMPEY

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
3085 tons	234 ft. x 33 ft. 6 in. x 15 ft. 10 in.		10 knots	two 6-pounders		5 officers 37 crew

The POMPEY was a steel vessel built in 1895 in Sunderland, England by  S. P. Austin & Son. Ltd. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on May 26, 1898.


SATURN

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
6220 tons	275 ft. x 40 ft. x 22 ft.	1500 hp	12.5 knots	two 6-pounders		7 officers 64 crew

The SATURN was an iron vessel built in 1890 in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A. by Harlan & Holllingsworth. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on April 11, 1898.


SCINDIA

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
7500 tons	375 ft. x 46 ft. 2 in. x 24 ft. 6 in.	3000 hp	12 knots	two 6-pounders	4550 tons	10 officers + 98 crew

The SCINDIA was a steel vessel built in 1890 in Glasgow, Scotland by D. and W. Henderson & Co. She served the Eastern Squadron in the Atlantic, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on May 21, 1898.


SCIPIO

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
6864 tons	383 ft. x 40 ft. x 23 ft. 6 in.	2422 hp	14.5 knots			7 officers + crew

The SCIPIO was a steel vessel built in 1882 in Dumbarton, Scotland by William Denney & Bros.


SOUTHERY

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
3100 tons	288 ft. x 38 ft. 9.75 in. x 18 ft. 3 in.	3000 hp	9 knots		300 tons	6 officers + 46 crew

The SOUTHERY was an iron vessel built in 1889 in Sunderland, England by R. Thompson Sons & Co. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on April 16, 1898.


STERLING

Displacement	Dimensions	Horsepower	Speed	Armament	Coal Capacity	Crew
5663 tons	274ft. x 37 ft. x 23 ft.	926 hp	11 knots	two 6-pounders		5 officers + 55 crew

The STERLINGwas an iron vessel built in 1881 in Port Glasgow, Scotland by Duncan & Co. She served the North Atlantic Fleet, being commissioned by the U.S. Navy on April 16, 1898.

---

Bibliography:

Clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, The Abridgement: Message from the President of the United States to the Two House of Congress. Vol II (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1899) 1226-1227.

Barrash, Marvin W., Murder on the Abarenda. (Berwyn Heights, MD: Heritage Books Inc., 2016) 117 -122.

USS ALEXANDER image - U.S. National Archives RG-19-A-1, Photo #19-N-14265

USS LEONIDAS - Library of Congress Call Number: LC-H261- 788.

---

Please note that we are looking for more information on these vessels. If you have additional data, please contact us!

---

Support this Site by Visiting the Website Store! (help us defray costs!)

---

We are providing the following service for our readers. If you are interested in books, videos, CD's etc. related to the Spanish American War, simply type in "Spanish American War" (or whatever you are interested in) as the keyword and click on "go" to get a list of titles available through Amazon.com.

---

Visit Main Page for copyright data

Return to U.S. Navy
Return to Main Page