USS San Marcos
Battleship · United States · Lost 1911 · Chesapeake Bay
The U.S. Navy's first commissioned battleship ended her career as a target hulk, shelled to pieces in Chesapeake Bay in 1911.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Commissioned in 1895 as USS Texas, the ship served in the Spanish-American War before being decommissioned in 1911 and renamed San Marcos for use as a gunnery target. Towed to Tangier Sound, she was anchored and destroyed by naval gunfire from USS New Hampshire on 22 March 1911. Her broken remains still lie partly exposed in the shallow sound.
Vessel
- 1892
- Norfolk Navy Yard
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Steel
- 309 ft
- 64 ft
- 6315
- Steam, twin screw, vertical triple expansion
- United States Navy
Loss
- March 22, 1911
- Intentional sinking
- Tangier Sound, Chesapeake Bay
- Chesapeake Bay
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Remains partially exposed above the surface in shallow water and are a long-standing navigation hazard.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 37.87° N 75.98° W
- Approximate position
- Tangier Island, Virginia
Position approximate to Tangier Sound anchorage described in historical accounts.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)
Naval History and Heritage Command
Build, commissioning, and target-ship fate.
U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine
Service history and destruction as target ship.
