The ships Charles V. Gridley served upon ran the whole history of the U.S. Navy from 1860 (actually back to 1798) to 1898. A lot of years.
The ships went from wooden to steel, sails to steam.
USS Constitution (USNA)
USS Oneida
USS Brooklyn (This ship was at the Battle of Mobile Bay and the Battles of Fort Fisher. Gridley served on it after the war.)
USS Kearsarge
USS Michigan (1871)
USS Monongahela (1873)
USS Trenton
USS Marion (his first actual command 1892)
USS Olympia
--Cooter
In October 1865, Charles Gridley was transferred to the USS Brooklyn, the flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. The end of the war brought a spate of promotions, as the Navy returned to peacetime footing and many officers left the service. Gridley remained and rose through the ranks rapidly.
He was promoted to master on November 10, 1866, to lieutenant on February 21, 1867 and lieutenant commander on March 12, 1868. By this time, however, the Navy had entered a long period of decline. The number of ships declined, new state-of-the-art ships were not built and the need for officers declined.
Promotions of lower rank officers depended on the retirement or demise of officers in the higher ranks. As was common with the times, Gridley did not get his next promotion until 1882.
By 1868, Charles Gridley was serving aboard the famed USS Kearsarge (which had defeated the CSS Alabama), cruising in the South Pacific. Three years later, he was serving aboard the USS Michigan in te Great Lakes. This warship was the only U.S. Navy vessel on the Great Lakes and it operated out of the port of Erie, Pennsylvania.
--Cooter
The USS Oregon arrived off the port of Santiago de Cuba on June 1st and joined the blockading fleet.
At 8:45 am on July 1, Admiral Cervera sortied with his fleet on his flagship, the Infanta Maria Teresa. Luckily for the Spanish, the Oregon was out of its usual position and another battleship, the USS Massachusetts was recoaling at Guantanamo Bay at the time.
Lookouts aboard the armored cruiser USS Brooklyn discovered the approach of the Spanish fleet and fired a gun as a warning and the battle was underway. The goal of the Spaniards was to escape and put out to sea. Cervera went after the Brooklyn
The Oregon took the lead in the ensuing chase as it was the only ship with its steam up. It was followed by the Brooklyn. American gunfire son set the Infanta Maria Teresa afire and fearing an explosion, Cervera ordered the ship run aground. The Almirante Oquendo did likewise a short time later. The Vizcaya was also forced aground and surrendered. The two destroyers were particularly savaged by American gunfire.
Only the Cristobol Colon had a good six-mile lead and was still running west. The American ships slowly caught up with her and struck its flag, running ashore and scuttling the ship. Thus ended the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
The Oregon was not hit in the action owing to the poor quality of the Spanish gunfire.
With the American success here and in Cuba and the Philippines, Spain sued for peace on 17 July and the Spanish-American War ended 12 August 1898 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
It Wasn't Much of a Battle, Actually. --Cooter
