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Section Patrol Craft Photo Archive

Canonicus (ID 1696)


Canandaigua Class Minelayer: Built in 1899 as El Cid by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp., Newport News, VA; Acquired by the Navy 23 November 1917; Commissioned Canonicus (ID 1696) 2 March 1918; Decommissioned 7 August 1919 and returned to the United States Shipping Board.
Fate unknown.

Specifications: Displacement 7,620 t.; Length 405' 1"; Beam 48' 3"; Draft 22' 6"; Speed 15 kts.; Complement 368; Armament one 5" and two 3".


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Size Image Description Source
Canonicus 87k . Mike Green
Canonicus 161k Halftone reproduction of a photograph taken in British waters, 1918.
Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1976.
U.S. Navy photo NH 85034
Naval Historical Center
Canonicus 125k U.S. Navy Mine Layers steaming in line abreast during the laying of the North Sea mine barrage, September 1918. Analysis of camouflage patterns indicates that these ships are (from front to rear): USS Roanoke (ID 1695); USS Housatonic (ID 1697); USS Shawmut (ID 1255); USS Canandaigua (ID 1694); USS Canonicus (ID 1696); with USS Quinnebaug (ID 1687)and USS Saranac (ID 1702) in the left and right center distance. A four-stack British cruiser is in the left distance.
U.S. Navy photo 61101
Naval Historical Center
Quinnebaug 71k U.S. Navy minelayers proceeding to sea in two columns, in Area Number 2 of the North Sea, September 1918. Ships in the column at left are (from front to rear): Roanoke, Housatonic, Quinnebaug and Baltimore. Ships in column at right are (from front to rear): Canonicus (out of picture, to right), Canandaigua, Aroostook and Saranac.
Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
U. S. Army Signal Corps Photo 111-SC-43563
Naval Historical Center

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships History: The second Canonicus (No. 1696) was launched 7 October 1899 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., as El Cid; acquired 23 November 1917 from the Shipping Board, fitted out as a mine planter at Morse Dry Dock and Repair Co., Brooklyn N.Y.; and commissioned as Canonicus 2 March 1918 Commander T. L. Johnson, USNRF, in command.

Canonicus cleared Newport, R.I., 12 May 1918 with Mine Squadron 1, bound for Inverness, Scotland. Arriving 27 May, she operated out of Inverness and Invergordon, Scotland, planting the mines of the North Sea barrage. This precise, demanding work continued through the close of the war, after which she returned to Hampton Roads, VA., 3 January 1919.

On 7 February 1919 Canonicus was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force, and made three voyages between the east coast and France, returning 4,166 troops to the United States. Canonicus was decomissioned 7 August 1919, and returned to the Shipping Board for further transfer to her former owner.


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