USS Reina Mercedes

The USS Reina Mercedes, built at Cartagena, Spain, in 1887 was originally named in honor of Queen Mercedes of Spain. The 278-foot ship, powered by 4,400 horse powers, was capable of propulsion under sail or steam and attained speeds up to 17.5 knots (Ironically faster than our Yard Patrol Craft). The 3090-ton vessel, armed with both guns and five fixed torpedo tubes, served under the Spanish flag from 1887 to 1892. In 1892 she became the station ship at Santiago, Cuba, where she remained until the outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Spain. Soon after the declaration of war, Admiral Cervera sailed for Cuba with a large squadron and upon his arrival at Santiago, the REINA MERCEDES became a part of his squadron. Her engines and boilers, however, were in such a poor state of repair that she was unable to take part in underway operations. Accordingly, her principal armament was removed and mounted ashore to augment the harbor defense of Santiago.      In June 1898, Lieutenant Hobson made a heroic attempt to block the entrance of Santiago Harbor with the steamer MERRIMAC. The REINA MERCEDES was one of the units which fired upon the MERRIMAC during this operation but she inflicted no serious damage on the Americans. Upon the surrender of Lieutenant Hobson to Admiral Cervera, he and his men were temporarily quartered on board this vessel. During the bombardment of Santiago on June 6, 1898, by the American Fleet, the REINA MERCEDES was frequently hit by shells and twice set on fire. As a result of this damage, she became incapable of any effective action and was stripped of the remainder of her armament which was used further to augment the harbor fortifications.      On July 3, after the Battle of Santiago had taken place and most of Admiral Cervera's squadron had been sunk or forced aground, the REINA MERCEDES was towed to the entrance of Santiago Harbor by the Spaniards in an attempt to sink her in the channel and thus deny access to the harbor to the American fleet. However, her movements were discovered by the American fleet and she was so badly damaged by shellfire from USS MASSACHUSETTS and USS TEXAS that she could not be placed in the desired position in the channel and sank outside the Channel on the night of July 4.      In March 1899, the REINA MERCEDES was raised from the bottom of Santiago Harbor and on June 10 arrived at the Norfolk Navy Yard in tow. In 1903, her overhaul and conversion into a receiving ship was completed and in 1904 she was towed to Newport, Rhode Island, to serve as the receiving ship there. She remained at Newport until 1912.      Early in 1912, she was towed to the Norfolk Navy Yard where she underwent an overhaul and refit. On September 30 she arrived at Annapolis, where she replaced the USS HARTFORD as the station ship. The latter was Admiral Farragut's flagship during the Civil War.      From 1912 until 1957 the REINA MERCEDES served as the station ship at Annapolis, with the exception of brief periods when she was towed to Norfolk Navy Yard for docking and overhaul. These occurred in 1916, 1927, 1939, and 1951.      It was customary for many years for the station ship to serve as "brig" for midshipmen being punished for serious infractions of Naval Academy Regulations. Such midshipmen were confined to the ship for periods ranging from one week to two months, depending upon the seriousness of the offense. During that period they attended all drills and recitations at the Naval Academy, but were required to sleep in hammocks in the ship and to take their meals on board. This practice was abolished on September 5, 1940, when restriction of midshipmen to their rooms in Bancroft Hall was substituted as a disciplinary measure.      In September 1940, Reina Mercedes commenced its role as a berthing barge for the enlisted personnel assigned to the Naval Academy Complex. It also served as the headquarters for the Academy's sailing activities and look out and harbor control center. Until 1957, the Reina Mercedes was referred to as the fastest ship in the fleet, as it was remained tied fast to the Naval Academy seawall. In 1957, the USS Reina Mercedes was decommissioned and sold to the Boston Metals Company of Baltimore, Md.      The history invoked by the name Reina Mercedes is the principal reason for its selection as the name of the Navy's and Naval Academy's newest BEQ. It is appropriate for the obvious historical ties to the USNA complex and prior service as a berthing facility for the enlisted men and women of the Naval Station. However, even more important, and far less obvious, are the comparative courses taken in the vessel's history and those of the enlisted berthing facilities. Earlier mentioned, in 1899 the Reina Mercedes was at an all time low, as it rested at the bottom of Santiago Harbor as did the Navy's berthing standards. Lifted from the ocean floor, the mighty vessel and BQ standards were significantly overhauled. The new and improved ship, USS Reina Mercedes, was not overhauled with advanced weapons, but with conviction and leadership. She was issued new demanding orders, to serve the United States Naval Academy in 1912. Paralleling this course of success and evolution, but at a slower speed, was the necessary act of defining living standards. The efforts of many great leaders, specifically Admiral Zumwalt and the Honorable William Perry, pioneered the development of our Navy's newest living standards, with the highest emphasis on quality of life.      Yes, the days of hammocks, open bay berthing, and crammed living quarters (often detailing four sailors to a single room) are over, as the Reina Mercedes has again reported for duty at Naval Station Annapolis. This time the Reina Mercedes is the finest in her class. She has been outfitted with the latest technology, namely the 1+1 and 2+2 concepts. The 1+1 concept allocates to all residents E-5 and senior, a 292 square foot, professionally furnished, private room with a private bath, a kitchenette including a full size refrigerator, microwave and breakfast bar, and a washer/dryer unit. The 2+2 concept details the E-4 and junior residents, to an interesting arrangement in which two sailors share a common bathroom and kitchenette, with all the aforementioned amenities, but separate, adjacent berthing spaces. This design provides the most junior sailors with a private living space, while achieving some economy of scale in the common areas. Additionally, all rooms have been designed to provide cable, phone, and Internet capabilities. The building also offers amenities, such as a central lounge with a fully equipped kitchen and large screen television, a covered outdoor patio area, a central laundry room equipped with additional full size washers and dryers, a carwash station, basketball and sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, bicycle lockers, out door barbeques, three sets of linens per sailor, irons, vacuums, and steam cleaners, to name a few.