Update April 26, 2023: The Roslyn Landmark Society will match any contributions made by its members to the Roslyn Cannon Restoration Project.
Newsday, November 2, 1942: At the end of the Spanish-American War, the cannon was given to the commander of the USS Wasp Admiral Aaron Ward. In 1908, Ward retired from the Navy and moved to his Willowmere estate in Roslyn where the cannon was placed on the front lawn.
The cannon from the Spanish sloop Don Jorge Juan
Jorge Juan was a Jorge Juan-class sloop of the Spanish Navy which was sunk off Cuba during the Spanish–American War.
Jorge Juan was built at La Seyne in France. She was launched in 1876. She had a composite hull, one funnel, one screw, and a barque rig. She was the lead ship of a class of two sloops.[1]
During the Spanish–American War in 1898, Jorge Juan was in Cuba. She was anchored in Nipe Bay when, late on the morning of 21 July 1898, the United States Navy armed yacht USS Wasp and armed tug USS Leyden moved in toward Port Nipe in order to reconnoitre the bay. Wasp immediately sighted Jorge Juan at anchor some four miles up the bay. Wasp fired several shots at the signal station located at the bay's entrance, then sped forward to engage Jorge Juan. At 1244, Jorge Juan opened fire at extreme range, and Wasp returned fire immediately. Leyden, followed by the gunboats USS Annapolis and USS Topeka, quickly joined in. As the range decreased, American gunfire became more accurate, and all four ships began scoring telling hits on Jorge Juan. Finally, at 1312, Jorge Juan stuck her colors. The four American warships ceased fire and watched Jorge Juan sink at 1342.[2]
Notes
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860–1905, p. 386
- ^ Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Wasp VII.
Cannon images courtesy of Howard Kroplick.
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Restoration Project will take place on May 13,2023