(Hugh McCulloch, 1808-1895, 27th and 36th Secretaries of the Treasury)

Type and Characteristics: Barquentine-rigged steam cutter (above, circa 1900), built by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, PA at cost of $196,500, composite construction with wood on steel hull, commissioned 12 December 1897, 1,280 tons displacement, 219ft long x 33ft 4in beam x 14ft draft, triple-expansion steam engine, 21 1/2in, 34 1/2in and 56 1/2in diameter x 30in stroke, 2 boilers, 200 psi, trials speed 17 knots, armed with 4-3in guns/1 torpedo tube, crew of 130 (wartime - but 12 officers and 67 crew, total of 79, listed during Spanish-American War (see below)). Rig later reduced to two "military" masts.

Log Period and Areas of Service: 1897-1917, Spanish-American war service, West Coast of US, Alaskan waters.

Summary of Service

12 December 1897 - Commissioned under command of Captain D B Hogsdon.

1898 - Steamed via the Suez Canal for her first station at San Francisco.

8 April 1898 - Arrived at Singapore. With the onset of the Spanish-American War, ordered to join Commodore Dewey's Squadron on the Asiatic station - cruisers Olympia, Boston, Baltimore, Raleigh, and gunboats Concord and Petrel. McCulloch's role included escorting storeships Nanshan and Zafire. Entered Manila Bay the evening of the 30th, having departed Mirs Bay, China on the 27th. Dewey's Squadron successfully defeated the Spanish fleet, but on the way in, McCulloch's stack caught fire and Chief Engineer Frank B. Randall died from the results of tackling the blaze. Captain Hogsdon was commended by Commodore Dewey for "the efficiency and readiness of his ship". As the fastest ship available, McCulloch steamed for Hong Kong and its cable facilities to telegraph dispatches. (Crew numbers and list of names below).

10 January 1899 - Arrived at San Francisco.

1899-1906 - Operated out of San Francisco, patrolling from the Mexican border to Cape Blanco.

1906-1912 - Patrolled Pribilof Islands area to enforce seal regulations. During this time with the Bering Sea patrol, served as floating court for Alaskan towns.

1912 - Returned to San Francisco and continued West Coast patrol duties.

6 April 1917 - Transferred to US Navy, continued Pacific coast patrol operations.

Fate: 13 June 1917 - In collision with Pacific Steamship Company's SS Governor, sank 3 miles NW of Point Conception, Ca, NW of Los Angeles. One crewman lost (Acting Water Tender John Arvid Johansson, USCG, who was injured and died in hospital, San Pedro), all other hands saved.

Links: DANSF, USC Historian's site

McCullough 2 McCullogh 5 McCullogh 6
McCullogh 7

Right - "Neptune Claims a Good Ship"; newsprint image, U.S. Coast Guard magazine 13, No. 11 (September, 1940). This image appears to show only one mast abaft the funnel compared with the two in the other images. However, it may be possible to make out a collapsed mast just by the funnel.

McCullough 4
McCullogh 9

Left and right - log book page for 14 August 1915, at Unalaska.

McCullogh 8

 

Crew Numbers and Crew Names - Spanish-American War

Numbers

OFFICERS

12 plus Lieutenant, US Navy in command

ENLISTED MEN

Roughly grouped by branches

Captain - 1

First Lieutenant - 1

Second Lieutenant - 1

Third Lieutenant - 3

Assistant Surgeon (Marine Hospital Service) - 1

Chief Engineer - 1

First Assistant Engineer - 2

Second Assistant Engineer - 1

Acting Paymaster - 1

Quartermaster - 3

Coxswain - 3

Boatswain - 1

Seaman - 12

Ordinary Seaman - 13

1st Class Boy - 7

2nd Class Boy - 4

 

Gunner - 1

Master-At-Arms - 1

Bugler - 1

Fireman - 9

Coal Passer - 6

Oiler - 1

 

Machinist - 2

Carpenter - 1

 

Ship's Cook - 1

Wardroom Steward - 1

Cabin Steward - 1

Names

William P. Elliot, Lieutenant, USN

Daniel B Hodgsdon, Captain

Daniel P Foley, 1st Lieutenant

Walker, W Joynes, 2nd Lieutenant

Randolph Ridgely, Jr, 3rd Lieutenant

William E Atlee, 3rd Lieutenant

John Mel, 3rd Lieutenant

Joseph B Greene, Assistant Surgeon, Marine Hospital Service

Frank B Randall, Chief Engineer (died)

William C Meyers, 1st Assistant Engineer

William E MacCoun, 1st Assistant Engineer

Henry F Schoenborn, 2nd Assistant Engineer

George A Loud, Acting Paymaster

Anderson, Charles, Seaman

Anderson, Johan, Seaman

Armstrong, Burt, 2nd Class Boy

Bailey, Thomas, Ordinary Seaman

Barnes, Frank A, 2nd Class Boy

Beaubrin, Jacob, Coal Passer

Benson, Henry, Coal Passer

Bryson, John, Quartermaster

Burke, John A, Boatswain

Burns, James, Fireman

Burwell, Edward L, Ordinary Seaman

Carson, Gustav, Master-At-Arms

Charles, Bernard, Ordinary Seaman

Choy, Ah, Fireman

Christie, Henry, Seaman

Clark, Charles, Coxswain

Clindining, Frank, Ordinary Seaman

Craig, F C, Ordinary Seaman

Dirwanger, T A, Ordinary Seaman

Doner, John, Ordinary Seaman

Dunseath, William, Fireman

Fedoroff, August E, Seaman

Fong, Ah, Fireman

Forbis, Archie, 1st Class Boy

Hakansson, George, Coal Passer

Hatch, Kimball Fireman

Hein, George Coal Passer

Hong, Ah, Fireman

Humphrey, F, Seaman

Imai, Echi, 1st Class Boy

Johnson, Charlie, Quartermaster

Kemer, John A, Ordinary Seaman

King, Frank, Ordinary Seaman

Klump, David, Machinist

Kuhl, A, Seaman

Lawrence, John, Coal Passer

Long, C H, 1st Class Boy

Low, Ah, Coal Passer

Malitani, Kameo, 1st Class Boy Miller, William E, Ordinary Seaman

Mcfarlane, James, Ordinary Seaman

Neithercote, H A, Bugler

Ogata, Kuraki, 1st Class Boy

Olsen, Gustav E, Fireman

Olsen, Oscar J, Fireman

Owens, Paul G, Ordinary Seaman

Parovel, Joseph, Seaman

Pattison, Joseph, Seaman

Persson, Olaf, Seaman

Quirk, Patrick, Ship's Cook

Rice, Louis M., Cabin Steward

Richter, B C, Seaman

Rossin, Peter, Carpenter

Sakee, Koudo, Wardroom Steward

Sing, Ah, Machinist

Sjobug, B H, Quartermaster

Smith, Dennis A, Ordinary Seaman

Sutton, William, 2nd Class Boy

Svenson, John, Coxswain

Swanson, Olaf, Coxswain

Thompson, Harry, Seaman

Thompson, N A, Seaman

Timmins, Bernard, Oiler

Tubbs, Burt, 2nd Class Boy

Tye, Ah, Fireman

Woolford, Nelson, Gunner

Yoshi, K, 1st Class Boy

Oshi, K, 1st Class Boy

A general note on the sources.