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USS CALIFORNIA ACR-6
USS SAN DIEGO CA-6
The first production of
our primarily wood
USS California/USS San Diego model shown below was commissioned by a former secretary of the US navy. It
was one of our three custom-built ships that are
displayed permanently on the USS San Diego LPD-22.
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The USS California (ACR-6), later renamed San Diego,
was a United States Navy Pennsylvania-class armored
cruiser. She was launched on 28 April 1904 and
commissioned on 1 August 1907.
Joining the 2nd Division, Pacific
Fleet, California took part in the Naval Review at
San Francisco in May 1908 for the Secretary of the
Navy Victor H. Metcalf. In March 1912, USS
California went westward for duty on the Asiatic
Station, representing American power and prestige in
the Far East.
Returning home in August 1912, the USS California was
ordered to Corinto, Nicaragua, then embroiled in
internal political disturbance. Here she protected
American lives and property, then resumed her
operations along the west coast; she cruised off
California, and kept a watchful eye on Mexico, at
that time also suffering political disturbance.
On September 1, 1914, USS California was renamed USS
San Diego. She then served
as flagship for Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet,
intermittently until 12 February 1917, when she went
into reserve status.
At the opening of World War I, the USS San Diego was
placed into full commission on 7 April. The cruiser
operated as flagship for Commander, Patrol Force
Pacific Fleet, until 18 July, when she was ordered
to the Atlantic Fleet. Reaching Hampton Roads on 4
August, she joined Cruiser Division 2, and later
broke the flag of Commander, Cruiser Force,
Atlantic, which she flew until 19 September.
San Diego's essential mission was the escort
of convoys through the first dangerous leg of their
passages to Europe. Based on Tompkinsville, New
York, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, she operated in the
weather-torn, submarine-infested North
Atlantic safely convoying all of her charges to the
ocean escort.
Early on 19 July 1918, San Diego left the Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard bound for New York where she was to
meet and escort a convoy bound for France. Her
captain ordered a zigzag course at a speed of 15 kn.
Visibility was reported as being from 6–8 mi.
At 11:05 the next day, 19 July, San Diego was
steaming northeast of the Fire Island Lightship when
an explosion occurred on the cruiser's port side
adjacent to the port engine room and well below the
waterline. The bulkhead at the site of the explosion
was warped so that the watertight hatch between the
engine room and No. 8 fire room could not be shut,
and both compartments immediately flooded. Captain
Christy assumed that the ship had been torpedoed and
immediately sounded submarine defense quarters and
ordered all guns to open fire on anything resembling
a periscope. He called for full speed ahead on both
engines and hard right rudder, but was told that
both engines were out of commission and that the
machinery compartments were rapidly flooding. The
ship had taken on a 9° list and water began pouring
in through one of the 6 in gun ports, flooding the
gun deck.
Informed that the ship's radio was not working,
Christy despatched the gunnery officer to the
mainland with a boat crew to summon rescue vessels.
About 10 minutes after the explosion, cruiser San
Diego began to sink. Orders were given to lower the
liferafts and boats. Captain Christy held off giving
the order to abandon ship until he was certain
that the USS San Diego was going to capsize, when
the crew abandoned the vessel in a disciplined and
orderly manner. Christy was the last man to leave
the ship.
USS San Diego had sunk in 28 minutes with the loss
of six lives. She was the only major warship lost by
the United States in World War I. Two men were
killed instantly when the explosion occurred, a
crewman who had been oiling the port propeller shaft
was never seen again, a sailor was killed by one of
the smokestacks breaking loose as the ship capsized,
one was killed when a liferaft fell on his head, and
the sixth was trapped inside the crow's nest and
drowned.
Meanwhile, the gunnery officer had reached shore
at Point O' Woods, New York after a two-hour trip,
and vessels were at once sent to the scene.
The Navy Department was informed that a German mine
laying submarine was operating off the east coast of
the US and the US Naval Air Service was put on
alert. Aircraft of the First Yale Unit, based at Bay
Shore, Long Island, attacked what they thought was a
submerged submarine lying on the seabed in around
100 ft and dropped several bombs; it turned out to
be the submerged USS San
Diego.
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We offer the
model of the USS San Diego USS California at the
following sizes:
30" long (1/200 scale)
42" long (1/144
scale)
64" long (1/100
scale)
Models are built per commissions only.
We
require only a small deposit (not the whole amount,
not even half) to start the process.
Click here for
lead time.
We can be reached at Services@ModelShipModel.com
Learn more about the USS
San Diego here:
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/underwater-archaeology/sites-and-projects/ship-wrecksites/san-diego-cruiser-6.html
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