Specifications:

Click on thumbnail for full size image	Size	Image Description		Source
Princeton (Gunboat No. 13)
	154k	c. 1898 J. H. Dialogue Ship Yard, Camden, NJ Princeton Sketch Print from an 1898 Harper's Weekly Magazine		Tommy Trampp
USS Princeton (Gunboat No. 13)
	116k	Photographed in 1898, probably when first completed U.S. Navy photo NH 59451		Naval Historical Center
	178k			Jim Kurrasch, Battleship Iowa, Pacific Battleship Center
	90k	c. 1898 Photo from the New York Tribune Illustrated Supplement		Mike Mohl
	129k	13 February 1899 In harbor, Port Suez, Egypt Dressed with flags and Turkish flag at mainmast		Camden People Website
	97k	c. 1900 Shanghai, China Courtesy U.S. Warships of World War I		Mike Green
	119k	c. 1903 Manila, Philippines		Camden People Website
	91k	Mare Island Navy Yard, California. An early U.S. Navy submarine (probably Grampus or Pike) underway off the yard, circa early 1905. Gunboats Petrel and Princeton are in the center background. At left are the decommissioned gunboats Annapolis and Vicksburg Courtesy of Ted Stone, 1986 U.S. Navy photo NH 100915		Naval Historical Center
	548k	c. 1905/1906 Mare Island, CA		Darryl Baker
	572k
	537k
	531k
	267k	Aground at Tutuila, Samoa, after striking a submerged rock, 11 July 1914 Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 60297		Mike Green
	266k	Princeton, pictured on the cover of the Seattle Naval Training Camp “Cruise Book.” The Seattle Naval Training Camp existed on the campus of the University of Washington from the summer of 1917 until early 1919. Princeton was the station training ship		Lee Corbin
	106k	c. 1918 Sailors training at Naval Training Camp, Seattle. During World War I, the University of Washington had a U.S. Navy training station on the shores of Lake Union. Before the camp closed in 1919, over 5,000 men had been trained there for both naval and naval aviation units. In this image, taken on the deck of a moored ship, four sailors use an unidentified training apparatus. They may be learning how to sight and position deck guns Photo from the Webster & Stevens collection at the University of Washington, Museum of History and Industry website Photo added 26 June 2021
ex-Princeton
	159k	23 December 1923 The ex-Princeton moored at an unknown location Library of Congress photo LC-B2-2108-4		Mike Green

---

Commanding Officers
01	CDR Clifford Hardy West, USN	27 May 1898 - 7 August 1899
02	CDR Harry Knox, USN	7 August 1899 - 31 May 1901
03	CDR James Russell Selfridge, USN	31 May 1901 - 12 June 1903
04	CDR Frank H. Sherman, USN	5 May 1904
05	CDR Arthur Dodd Wright, USN	24 May 1905 - 3 July 1907
06	CDR Charles Harold Hayes, USN	5 November 1909
07	CDR William Michael Crose, USN	4 April 1910 - 14 March 1913
08	LT Nathan Woodworth Post, USN	14 March 1913 - 14 July 1913
09	CDR Clark Daniel Sterns, USN	14 July 1913 - 2 October 1914
10	CDR Charles Armijo Woodruff, USN	16 December 1914 - 15 January 1915
11	LCDR Lloyd Stowell Shapley, USN	15 January 1915 - 31 January 1916

Courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves and Joe Radigan

---

After acceptance trials 7-25 July 1898 off Delaware Bay, Princeton got underway for Key West where she joined the North Atlantic Fleet 27 July at the beginning of the Spanish American War. She was Immediately sent (2 August) to patrol the area from the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula to Livingston, Guatemala. After completing this mission 13 August, she returned to Key West and the Dry Tortugas and remained on this station until departing 11 January 1899 for New York.

Princeton sailed for the Pacific in early 1898. She passed through the Straits of Gibraltar 2 February and transited the Suez Canal 13-17 February, joining the Asiatic Fleet 16 April at Cavite, Philippines. Princeton cruised throughout the Philippines 4-15 May with Petrel, distributing the proclamation of peace with Spain. Later she carried Sen. A. J. Beveridge on a tour of the newly acquired
Philippine Territory.

In late May Princeton commenced blockading the Lingayen Gulf ports of St. Vincent and Musa and extended the blockade to the entire Gulf 18-26 June. During the various local disturbances on Luzon, she landed troops at San Fabian 2-7 November, transported cavalrymen from Vigan to Lingayen, conveyed dispatches, received surrendered arms and carried stores to the Marines at Subic Bay. Princeton took formal possession of the Babuyan and the Battan Islands 10-13 January 1900 and continued to patrol off Luzon 10 February. Princeton was later station ship at Iloilo and Cebu 5 March 21 June.

At the time of the Boxer Rebellion Princeton cruised in Chinese waters (26 June-29 November) between Hong Kong and Woosung where she received a draft of men from Buffalo 9 August. She returned 4 December to operations in the Philippines, principally in the Sulu Archipelago, and remained on duty there until 20 July 1902. Princeton was stationed at Cavite beginning 23 July and called at Uraga, Japan (9 October-18 December). While at Cavite she participated in large-scale maneuvers off the Philippines (29 December-3 February 1903). Afterwards Princeton acted as a survey ship. (13 February-5 April) at Malabug Bay, Zamboanga and Dumanquilas Bay until she departed 13 April for California. Princeton decommissioned 12 June 1903 at Mare Island Navy Yard.

Princeton recommissioned 12 May 1905 at Mare Island Navy Yard and was attached to the Pacific Squadron. She left 4 June for duty as station ship at Panama City, where she remained until 24 October. On 2 December 1905 Princeton returned to Mare Island Navy Yard and began cruising off the Pacific coast from San Diego to Esquimalt, British Columbia. She escorted Rear Admiral C. J. Train's remains from Vancouver to Seattle (22-24 August), assisted Boston (6-9 December) which was aground off Bellingham, Wash., and accompanied California 10-22 September on her sea trials off Washington. Princeton remained on station off the West coast until directed to rejoin the Pacific Squadron 3 January 1907 at Magdalena Bay, Mexico.

Princeton proceeded to Corinto, Nicaragua, arriving 17 March for the purpose of protecting American interests there. She transported troops from Ampala, Honduras to La Union, (12 April) and brought General Bonilla back to Salina Cruz, Mexico (13 April). She returned to San Diego 30 May and decommissioned 3 July 1907 at Bremerton, Wash.

Princeton recommissioned 5 November 1909 at Bremerton and sailed 28 November for Central America for duty with the Nicaraguan Expeditionary Squadron. From 20 December until 21 March 1911 she showed the flag in this area, operating between San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua and La Union, El Salvador. She returned to Puget Sound Navy Yard 20 June 1911 for repairs and alterations. From late 1911 until 1915 she was used as a station ship at Tutuila, American Samoa.

Returning to San Francisco 18 September 1915, Princeton decommissioned and was laid up until 20 February 1917 when she proceeded to Puget Sound for repairs. She commissioned in ordinary there 16 January 1918 for use as a training ship at Seattle from 9 May 1918 to 25 April 1919 when she decommissioned.

Princeton was struck from the Navy List 23 June 1919 and sold to Farrell, Kane and Stratton, Seattle, Wash. 13 November 1919.

Back to the Main Photo Index

Back to the Patrol Craft/Gunboat/Submarine Chaser Ship Index

Back to the Patrol Gunboat (PG) Photo Index

---

Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster

---

This page created by Gary P Priolo and maintained by Tom Bateman