USS New York (BB-34)

The fifth New York (Battleship No. 34) was laid down on 11 September 1911 at Brooklyn, N.Y., by the New York Navy Yard; launched on 30 October 1912; sponsored by Miss Elsie Calder; and commissioned at her building yard on 15 April 1914, Capt. Thomas S. Rodgers in command.

Ordered to Veracruz, Mexico, soon after commissioning, New York stood out of the Navy Yard on 26 April 1914, and shifted to Tompkinsville [Staten Island], N.Y., to embark her U.S. Marine guard before setting a course the same day for Newport, R.I. Arriving the next day, she was outfitted with her torpedoes and then departed for Hampton Roads, Va. Upon her arrival at the Virginia capes on the 28th, the battleship received funds for the fleet and then departed the same day for Veracruz, Mexico. Arriving on 4 May, New York served as the flagship for the Special Service Squadron, the force occupying and blockading Veracruz. The battleship continued to operate off Mexico through most of the summer. On 2 September, she was detached from the Special Service Squadron and re-assigned to the First Division, Atlantic Fleet. After shuttling between Galveston, Texas, and Veracruz (5 September-14 September), New York set a course for Hampton Roads on 17 September and arrived on 22 September.

After less than a week in port, New York operated out of Hampton Roads from 27 September and conducted training on the Southern Drill Grounds until 2 October, when she headed north for a return to Tompkinsville. Arriving on the 3rd, she then shifted to the New York Navy Yard and docked on 5 October. While undergoing yardwork, New York was detached from the First Division and assigned as the flagship, Atlantic Fleet when the Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, transferred from Wyoming (Battleship No. 32) and broke his flag on board New York on 10 October. Four days later, the battleship undocked. She conducted a trial run to Rockland, Maine, on 17 October, and after a two-day port visit (18-20 October) returned to Tompkinsville on the 23rd. Returning to the New York Navy Yard (24 October-1 November), New York departed for Hampton Roads, arriving on the 2nd. She spent most of November conducting training on the Southern Drill Grounds and in the Hampton Roads vicinity. Departing the area on 30 November, she returned to the New York Navy Yard on 4 December. The ship remained at the yard through the beginning of the new year.

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From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (New York V (Battleship No. 34)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.