USS New Hampshire (BB-25)



The second United States Navy New Hampshire (BB-25) was a. New Hampshire was the last American pre-dreadnought battleship, though she was commissioned two years after HMS Dreadnought.

She was laid down on 1 May 1905 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey; launched on 30 June 1906; sponsored by Mrs. John A. (Hazel E. McLane) Clark, daughter of Governor John McLane of New Hampshire; and commissioned on 19 March 1908, Captain Cameron M. Winslow in command.

Pre-World War I
After fitting out at New York, New Hampshire carried a Marine Expeditionary Regiment to Colón, Panama on 20–26 June 1908, then made ceremonial visits to Quebec, Portsmouth, New York, and Bridgeport. Overhaul at New York and Caribbean exercises were followed by participation in the Naval Review by President Theodore Roosevelt in Hampton Roads on 22 February 1909, welcoming home the "Great White Fleet".

Through the next 18 months, she exercised along the east coast and in the Caribbean, then departed Hampton Roads on 1 November 1910 with Battleship Division 2 (BatDiv 2) for Cherbourg, France and Weymouth, England. Leaving England on 30 December, she returned to the Caribbean until arriving in Norfolk, Virginia on 10 March 1911 to prepare for a second European cruise which took her to Scandinavian, Russian, and German ports. The squadron returned to New England waters on 13 July.

New Hampshire trained United States Naval Academy midshipmen off New England in the next two summers, and patrolled off strife-torn Hispaniola in December 1912. From 14 June-29 December 1913, she similarly protected United States' interests along the Mexican coast, to which she returned on 15 April 1914 to support the occupation of Veracruz. New Hampshire sailed north on 21 June, was overhauled at Norfolk, and exercised along the east coast and in the Caribbean until returning to Veracruz in August 1915.

World War I
Arriving Norfolk on 30 September 1915, New Hampshire operated in northern waters until 2 December 1916, when she sailed for Santo Domingo, where her commanding officer took part in the government of the revolt-torn country. She returned to Norfolk in February 1917 for overhaul, where she lay when the United States entered World War I. For the next 18 months, she trained gunners and engineers in northern coastal waters, and on 15 September began the first of two convoy escort missions, guarding transports from New York to a rendezvous point off the French coast. On 24 December 1918, she sailed on the first of four voyages bringing veterans home from France to east coast ports. This duty completed on 22 June 1919, she was overhauled at Philadelphia, then on 5 June 1920 sailed with Academy midshipmen embarked for a cruise through the Panama Canal to Hawaii and west coast ports. She returned to Philadelphia on 11 September.

Inter-war period
New Hampshire served as flagship for the special naval force in Haitian waters from 18 October-12 January 1921, and on 25 January sailed with the remains of Swedish Minister Wilhelm Ekerigren for Stockholm, arriving on 14 February. She called also at Kiel and Gravesend before returning to Philadelphia on 24 March. There she decommissioned on 21 May.

She was sold for scrapping 1 November 1923 in accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty.