CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

USS Blakely (TB-27)

torpedo boat of the United States Navy

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJan 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ7867739 ↗
Source-derived summary

The first USS Blakely (Torpedo Boat No. 27/TB-27/Coast Torpedo Boat No. 13) was laid down on 12 January 1899 at South Boston, Massachusetts, by George Lawley & Son and launched on 22 November 1900. Sponsored by Miss Nellie M. White; and commissioned on 27 December 1904. It was named for Johnston Blakeley, commander of USS Wasp.

Built in Massachusetts

Blakely completed dock trials at the Boston Navy Yard and then moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where she fitted out with ordnance and electrical equipment at the torpedo station and underwent various tests and inspections.

Pre-war service with the U.S. Navy

Blakely became a unit of the 3rd Torpedo Flotilla, United States Atlantic Fleet. She cruised the Atlantic and gulf coasts of the United States with that organization, engaged in a series of drills, exercises, and port visits. The torpedo boat was placed out of commission, in reserve, at the Norfolk Navy Yard on or about 28 February 1907. She remained inactive until recommissioned on 13 January 1908 and, for about five months, resumed active operations with the 3d Torpedo Flotilla.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “USS Blakely (TB-27)” as torpedo boat of the United States Navy. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Blakely, TB-27 and torpedo.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1899, 1900, 1904, 1907—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Blakely, TB-27 and torpedo providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “USS Blakely (TB-27)”, the useful work is to connect “torpedo boat of the United States Navy” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7867739. The first chronological checks are 1899, 1900, 1904 and 1907.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “USS Blakely (TB-27)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow USS Blakely (TB-27) primary sources, USS Blakely (TB-27) archive and Blakely research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “USS Blakely (TB-27)”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “USS Blakely (TB-27)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.