Albany (CG 10) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 22 text:

Q,-1 ,, ,f -,,ff .,-I 1915? ,. 'Q A--al: , ,gil HISTURY -C v - 5, I , STB' W was was Dis: WE' of' Swff 'MQ TQ' De' ma 'ne ic: TF? 4 Afel iF5' 555' RP cw ..... A ,.- v .. Q.. A .s. sf'-

Page 21 text:

60-191 4 - .f '-- - ,N ,Mk THE cnfw

Page 23 text:

ln the past 125 years, four ships of the United States Navy have been named for Albany, the capital city of the state of New York. The keel of the first ALBANY, a sloop-of-war, was laid in 1843 at the New York Navy Yard. She was launched three years later on June 27, 1846. Displacing 1064 tons, her overall length was 163 feet, 6 inches, breadth, 32 feet, 2 inches, and depth of. hold, 17 feet, 3 inches. She was armed with four 8iinch smoothbore rifles and eighteen 32-pounder rifles, and had a complement of 120 officers and men. ALBANY was placed in commission on Novem- ber 6, 1846, and on November 26, under the com- mand of Captain S. L. Breese, she Sailed to ioin the United States Home Squadron in the Gulf of Mex- ico. Shortly after the beginning of the Mexican war, the Navy received orders from the United States government to maintain a vigorous blockade of all Mexican ports on the gulf. In accordance with these instructions, ALBANY was one of several vessels scattered along the entire Mexican coast from the Rio Grande to the Tabasco River. On March 8, 1847, ALBANY took part in the debarkation of troops at Vera Cruz. In response to a request from General Winfield Scott during the at- tack on the town, the ship also sent ashore a 68- pound Paixhan gun as well as seamen to man it. One USS ALBANY. . . 1846 - 7977 of several landed by the fleet, Al-BANY5 QUV' CVGW helped in the destruction of Mexican fortsf the town of Vera Cruz surrendered shortly thereafter, On June 14, 1847, ALBANY participated in an- other maior operation ofthe war as she was part of a large expedition which crossed the bar of the Tabasco River and advanced upstream several miles, supporting Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in his attack on the town of Tabasco, The ships drove the Mexicans from their entrenchments with accurate gun fire and the town was taken without further fighting. ALBANY sailed for Hampton Roads on July 11, 1847, and after being sent on to Boston for repairs, she departed that city on October 10 for the West Indies and cruised with the Home Squadron until her return home in September of 1848, She made two additional cruises with the Home Squadron, return- ing to Boston from the second on July 21, 1852. ALBANY's capabilities were summed up by her Commanding Officer at the end of this cruise: Steers and lies-to well, and works as well as the average of ships. Stands up well under sails, rolls deep without straining her hull or rigging. She has logged 10 knots on a wind and 13 free. Beat the Decatur in a trial on the wind. I do not re- gard the ALBANY as very weatherly, but under all circumstances in which I have seen her C236 days at is United States Sloop-of-War Albany: 1846 - 1854 19