Armed Services, Navy, USS Brooklyn Apprentices, 1900

The USS Brooklyn (CL-40) was a protected cruiser in the United States Navy from 1896 to 1922. The ship was built by William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia and was part of the New Navy program, which sought to modernize the US fleet with steel-hulled, steam-powered vessels. The USS Brooklyn saw service in several conflicts, including the Spanish-American War and World War I. It played a role in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, where it helped to sink the Spanish cruiser Cristobal Colon, and later served as a convoy escort in the Atlantic during WWI. After being decommissioned in 1922, the USS Brooklyn was scrapped in 1931.