Columbia-class cruiser

USS Columbia (colorized photo)
Class overview
Name	Columbia class
Builders	William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Cincinnati class
Succeeded by	Denver class
Cost	$2,725,000 (hull and machinery)
Built	1890–1894
In commission	1894–1921
Planned	2
Completed	2
Scrapped	2
General characteristics
Type	Protected cruiser
Displacement	7,375 long tons (7,493 t)
Length	412 ft (126 m)
Beam	58 ft 2.25 in (17.74 m)
Draft	22 ft 6.5 in (6.87 m)
Installed power	8 or 10 × steam boilers 3 × vertical triple expansion engines 21,000 ihp (16,000 kW)
Propulsion	3 × screws
Speed	22.5 knots (41.7 km/h) (design)
Range	25,520 nmi (47,260 km; 29,370 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) (design)
Complement	30 Officers, 447 Enlisted
Armament	As built: 1 × 8 in (203 mm)/40 caliber Mark 5 gun 2 × 6 in (152 mm)/40 caliber guns 8 × 4 in (102 mm)/40 caliber rapid fire (RF) guns 12 × 6-pounder (57 mm (2.2 in)) RF guns 4 × 1-pounder (37 mm (1.5 in)) RF guns 4 × Gatling guns One field piece (for landing parties) 4 × 14 in (356 mm) or 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor	Protective deck 4 in (102 mm) (slopes), 2.5 in (64 mm) (flats) Gun shields 4 in (102 mm) Gun sponsons 4 in (102 mm) Conning tower 5 in (127 mm)
General characteristics (1920)[1][2]
Armament	3 × 6 in (150 mm)/45 caliber Mark 10 gun 4 × 4 in (100 mm)/40 guns 2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 anti-aircraft guns 4 × 3-pounder(47 mm (1.9 in)) saluting guns 2 × 1-pounder (37 mm (1.5 in)) guns

The Columbia-class cruisers were two protected cruisers constructed in 1890 and 1891 and used by the United States Navy.^[3] They were lightly gunned ships with only moderate armor that were built for the speed needed to overtake and destroy the fast ocean liners of the day as commerce raiders. However, the light armament and armor left these ships over-specialized and outclassed by ordinary similar sized protected cruisers that they might encounter. Also, the engines were expensive to operate and at full power the ships' range was greatly decreased. Due to the ongoing size and speed race in ocean liners, by 1907 they were outclassed in speed by the ill-fated Lusitania and the German liner Kronprinzessin Cecilie.^[4]

Columbia was authorized by an Act of Congress approved 30 June 1890, and Minneapolis was authorized by an Act approved 2 March 1891.^[5]