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CA - 1904 - Native Sons of the Gold West Medal with Pin :

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Medals & Tokens Start Price:38.00 USD Estimated At:75.00 - 125.00 USD
CA - 1904 - Native Sons of the Gold West Medal with Pin :
The dark metal pin has California printed across it, topped by a Bear. The circular bronze pendant, 36.5mm, has the California state seal on one side and on the other the initials N.S.G.W. and a picture of the “Armored Cruiser California. Launched April 28 – 1904.” The Cruiser has an American flag crossed with a California state flag above it. Launched by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco in 1904, the ship was one of only six armored cruisers of the Pennsylvania class built by the Navy between 1901-1908. Sponsored by Miss Florence Pardee (daughter of California Governor George C. Pardee), she was commissioned on August 1, 1907 and captained by V.L. Cottman. With the exception of cruises to Samoa and Hawaii and brief sojourns to the Asiatic Station and Nicaragua, she mostly worked the West coast of the United States, and took part in the naval review at San Francisco in 1908. In 1914 she was recommissioned as the San Diego, serving as flagship for the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet. When the United States became embroiled in WWI, the San Diego was deployed to the Atlantic Fleet on the East Coast and operated as an escort of convoys between New York and Halifax, N.S. on the first leg of their crossing to Europe, a dangerous section of water not only for its notorious weather conditions but also for the proliferation of enemy submarine activity. From Nova Scotia, the convoys were turned over to their ocean escorts. On July 19, 1918 the San Diego was torpedoed by a German submarine southeast of Fire Island; she sank in 28 minutes and became the only major U.S. warship lost in WWI [Ref: www.worthpoint.com/.../1904-california-cruiser-dedication].