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The United States Pacific Squadron in the early 1840s.

The Pacific Squadron, also known as the Pacific Station, was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 1800s and early 1900s. Initially with no U.S. ports in the Pacific they operated out of storeships which provided naval supplies and purchased food (when available) and obtained water from local ports of call in Hawaii and the West Coast. Over one-half of the U.S. Navy would be sent to join the Pacific Squadron during the Mexican American War.

History

USS Levant

Established in 1821, this small force confined its activities initially to the Pacific waters off South America, North America and Hawaii protecting United States commercial shipping interests. It expanded its scope of operations to include the Western Pacific in 1835, when the East India Squadron joined the force. The squadron was reinforced when war with Mexico began to seem a possibility. Sailing from the east coast to the west coast around Cape Horn was a 13,000 miles (21,000 km) to 15,000 miles (24,000 km) journey that typically took from 130 to 210 days.

Sumatran Expeditions

The first conflict of the Pacific Squadron arose in February 1831. Off the coast of Sumatra on February 7th, the American merchant vessel, Friendship, was attacked by Sumatran natives described as warrior pirates. The Americans were hoping to buy pepper from the natives but were instead attacked by three small vessels. Three men aboard Friendship were killed, one of which was the First Mate, the remaining crew members abandoned their vessel and it was captured. The surviving sailors escaped to a friendly port nearby with the help of a friendly Sumatran chief. The merchant sailors then launched an expedition to retake the plundered Friendship. This was achieved and at about the same time; President Andrew Jackson received word of the massacre and ordered Commodore John Downes in USS Potomac to punish the natives for their acts of piracy.

USS Potomac

Arriving off Sumatra exactly a year after the Friendship incident, Commodore Downes with just under 300 United States Marines and sailors attacked Quallah Battoo, the capital village of the hostile Sumatrans. The men went ashore in launches during which a small naval engagement was fought. A few of the boats were armed with a light cannon apiece and ordered to sink three small pirate crafts in the port. The launches achieved their goal and then proceeded in assisting USS Potomac in shelling five enemy citadels. The five forts were attacked by land as well and all were eventually suppressed. Hundreds of matchlock armed natives were killed with a loss of only two Americans. After the battle, Downes warned that if any more American merchant ships were attacked, another expedition would be launched in reprisal. The mission was technically a success for six years until 1838 when the Sumatran pirates attacked and plundered a second American merchantman. In response, the Second Sumatran Expedition was launched and the Americans returned to engage in the Bombardment of Quallah Battoo and the Bombardment of Muckie.

Mexican American War

The Pacific Squadron was instrumental in the capture of California in the Mexican American War of 1846-1848 after war was declared on 24 April 1846. The Navy was essentially the only significant U.S. military force on the Pacific coast in the early months of the Mexican American War. They had orders, in the event of war, to seize the ports in California. The only other U.S. military force in California was a small exploratory force of Lieutenant Colonel John C. Fremont's 60 man exploratory expedition (about half were Army soldiers the rest Indians and ex-mountain men) in the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. Under John D. Sloat, Commodore of the Pacific Squadron, the USS Savannah (Frigate, 44 guns, crew 480) USS Cyane, and USS Levant (both were Cyane class sloops with: 22 guns, crews of about 200, 132 feet long, 792 tons) captured the California capital of Monterey, California without firing a shot 7 July 1846.

USS Savannah

USS Portsmouth (sloop 20 guns, crew of 210) captured San Francisco 9 July 1846 without firing a shot. Shortly thereafter the short lived Bear Flag Rebellion was converted into a U.S. military conflict for possession of California. Fremont expedition forces joined forces (apparently with 'secret orders' to assist in any revolution in California) with a volunteer force of California residents. The Frigate USS Congress (44 guns crew 480, 1,867 tons 197 feet long) was the flagship of Commodore Robert F. Stockton when he took over as the senior U.S. military Commander in California in late July 1846. In July 1846 Stockton asked Fremont to muster the troops and volunteers under his command into the California Battalion to help garrison the towns rapidly being captured from the Californio government. Fremont's California Battalion members were sworn in and the volunteers paid $25.00/month with higher pay for officers. The California Battalion varied in size with time from about 160 initially to over 450. The Pacific Squadron ships (and their accompanying storehouse ships) served as floating store houses keeping Fremont's volunteer force of about 160-450 men in the California Battalion supplied with powder, lead and supplies as well as transporting them to different California ports. The USS Cyane transported Fremont and about 160 of his men to San Diego, California which was captured 29 July 1846 without a shot being fired. Leaving about 40 men to garrison San Diego Fremont continued on to Los Angeles where on August 13, with the Navy band playing and colors flying, the combined forces of Stockton and Frémont entered Los Angeles, without a man killed nor gun fired. U.S. Marine Major Archibald Gillespie, Fremont's second in command, was appointed military commander of Los Angeles, the largest city in California with about 3,000 residents. Gillespie had from 30 to 50 troops stationed there to keep the peace. The USS Congress is credited with capturing San Pedro, California 6 August 1846 and helping capture Mazatlan, Mexico 44 November 1847. [1]

USS Congress

After the temporary revolt of some Californios in Los Angeles and Gillespie's departure, Commodore Stockton used about 400-500 marines and bluejacket sailors from his squadron to supplement the approximate 90 men supplied by Brigadier General Stephen W. Kearny and Fremont's California Battalion of about 450 men to re-take Los Angeles and convince the Californios to sign on 13 January 1847 the Treaty of Cahuenga, terminating the war in upper California. On January 16, 1847, Commodore Stockton appointed Frémont military governor of California--a move later contested by General Kearny.

The retired Ship of the line USS Independence (1814) was brought back into service, cut down and recommissioned as a razee Frigate. The newly reconfigured ship removed the old top deck and reduced the gun count from 90 to 54 making her much easier to sail. The rebuilt USS Independence (1814), now classified as a 'heavy' Frigate, launched on 4 August 1846 when the nation was already at war with Mexico and departed Boston 29 August 1846 for California. She entered Monterey Bay on 22 January 1847 and became the flagship of Commodore William Shubrick, now commanding the Pacific Squadron.

In July of 1846, Colonel Jonathan D Stevenson of New York was asked to raise a volunteer regiment of ten companies of 77 men each or 770 men to go to California with the understanding that they would be muster out and stay in California. They were designated the 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers. In August and September the regiment trained and prepared for the trip to California. Three private merchant ships, Thomas H Perkins, Loo Choo, and Susan Drew, were chartered, and the Sloop USS Preble was assigned convoy detail. On September 26, the four ships sailed for California. Fifty men who had been left behind for various reasons sailed on 13 November 1846 on the small Storeship Brutus. The Susan Drew and Loo Choo reached Valparaiso, Chile by 20 January 1847 and they were on their way again by 23 January. The Perkins did not stop until San Francisco, reaching port on 6 March 1847. The Susan Drew arrived on 20 March and the Loo Choo arrived on 26 March 1847, six months (183 days) after leaving New York. The Brutus finally arrived on 17 April 1847. After desertions and deaths in transit the three ships brought 599 men plus 49 more on the Brutus to California. The companies were then deployed throughout Upper and Lower California from San Francisco to La Paz, Mexico. The ship Isabella sailed from Philadelphia on 16 August 1847, with a detachment of one hundred soldiers, and arrived in California on February 18th, 1848; at about the same time that the ship Sweden arrived with another detachment of soldiers. These soldiers were added to the existing companies of Stevenson's 1st New York Volunteer Regiment. [2] These troops essentially replaced all Pacific Squadron's on shore military and garrison duties and the California Battalion's garrison duties.

USS Independence

USS Independence assisted in the blockade of the Mexican Pacific coast, capturing the Mexican ship Correo and a launch on 16 May 1847. She supported the capture of Guaymas Mexico on 19 October 1847 and landed bluejackets and Marines to occupy Mazatlán, Mexico on 11 November 1847. She later cruised as far as Hawaii, arriving Honolulu on 12 August 1848. Independence returned to the East Coast Naval base at Norfolk, Virginia on 23 May 1849 and was decommissioned there on 30 May 1849.

After upper California was secure most of the squadron proceeded down the California coast capturing all major Baja California cities and capturing or destroying nearly all Mexican vessels in the Gulf of California. Numerous Mexican ships were also captured by this squadron with the USS Cyane given credit for 18 captures and numerous destroyed ships. [3] Entering the Gulf of California, Independence, Congress and Cyane seized La Paz captured and/or burned the small Mexican fleet at Guaymas. Within a month, they cleared the Gulf of hostile ships, destroying or capturing 30 vessels. Independence, Congress, and Cyane and their bluejackets and marines captured the town of Mazatlan, Mexico, 11 November 1847. USS Cyane returned to Norfolk 9 October 1848 to receive the congratulations of the Secretary of the Navy for her significant contributions to American victories in Mexico and California. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February 1848 and its subsequent ratification by the U.S. and Mexican legislatures, marked the end of the Mexican-American War.

Second Opium War

USS Portsmouth

The United States would see action again during the Second Opium War from 1856-1860. Four East India Squadron ships were involved in at least two battles, at this time the East India squadron was part of the Pacific Squadron. Just after the British declared war on China in 1856, the United States Navy screw frigate, USS San Jacinto and two sloops-of-war, USS Portsmouth and USS Levant, launched an attack against a series of Chinese forts along Pearl River. The engagement is known as the Battle of the Pearl River Forts in 1856. The second involvement of a Pacific Squadron ship was during the Second Battle of Taku Forts in 1859. American sailors of the warship, USS Powhatan, under Commodore Josiah Tattnall, assisted an Anglo and French attack on the Taku Forts. No further engagements between Chinese and American forces during the war are known to have happened.

Bombardment of Qui Nhon

On June 30, 1861, USS Saginaw silenced a fort at the entrance to Qui Nhon Bay, Cochinchina. This was after a Vietnamese artillery battery had fired upon her while she was searching for the missing boat and crew of an American merchant bark named Myrtle.

Civil War

The extent of the Pacific Squadron's responsibility was further enlarged in the 1850's when California and Oregon were admitted to the country and Navy bases on the west coast were established. The U.S. Sailing Navy's use of sailing ships declined as armored steamships were introduced before the American Civil War. The Pacific Squadron was far removed from the fighting during the conflict though some vessels of the squadron were reassigned to duty in the Atlantic and fought in engagements such as the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip.

Post Civil War

USS Ranger

In 1903, the squadron consisted of armored cruiser New York, cruisers Boston and Marblehead, and the gunboat Ranger. In early 1907, the Pacific Fleet was formed. The Asiatic Squadron became the First Squadron and the Pacific Squadron became the Second Squadron.

Commanders

Pacific Squadron[4]

North Pacific Squadron 1866-1869

South Pacific Squadron 1866-1869

Pacific Station 1872-1878

Pacific Squadron 1878-1907

[5]

Ships

References

  1. ^ Silverstone, Paul, H.; "The Sailing Navy 1775-1854";Naval Institute Press; ISBN 978-0415978729; p 38
  2. ^ Seventy-five Years in San Francisco; Appendix L [1] Accessed 18 Mar 2009
  3. ^ Silversteen, p42
  4. ^ Robert Erwin Johnson, Thence round Cape Horn, Ayer Publishing, 1980, Appendix II, pg 209.
  5. ^ Robert Erwin Johnson, Thence round Cape Horn, pg. 209-210.
  6. ^ Silversteen, pp 38-42
  7. ^ Silversteen, p22
  8. ^ The California Military Museum, The Pacific Squadron of 1861-1866, The following article is taken from Aurora Hunt's book, The Army of the Pacific; Its operations in California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, plains region, Mexico, etc. 1860-1866, under the chapter The Pacific Squadron of 1861-1866.
  9. ^ Ships of the California Naval Militia, USS Camanche

See also

External links

Categories