The USS Barney (Torpedo Boat No. 25/TB-25/Coast Torpedo Boat No. 11) was a small, early 20th-century torpedo vessel constructed by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Laid down on January 3, 1900, and launched on July 28, 1900, the ship was sponsored by Miss Esther Nicholson Barney, a descendant of Commodore Joshua Barney. She was officially commissioned on October 21, 1901, at the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island. The vessel's early service was characterized by brief voyages and periods of reserve status. She initially set sail for Port Royal, South Carolina, in November 1901 but entered reserve shortly after her arrival. From 1902, she was active along the North Atlantic coast and in the West Indies, participating in maneuvers and exercises. She was placed in reserve at Norfolk, Virginia, in February 1903, where she remained largely inactive as part of the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla until 1908, with brief periods underway for machinery and equipment checks. Reactivated on July 1, 1908, Barney operated off the U.S. East Coast as part of the 3rd Torpedo Flotilla. In October 1908, she was involved in a minor collision in dense fog near Norfolk, resulting in slight damage to both vessels. She rejoined the Reserve Flotilla in December and moved between Norfolk and Charleston over the next years. From 1911 to 1914, Barney served as a training ship for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and occasionally cruised the Potomac River to train the District of Columbia Naval Militia. In March 1916, she was placed in ordinary at Philadelphia and decommissioned in November of that year. Recommissioned in September 1917 amid World War I, Barney served as a patrol vessel in Chesapeake Bay. Her name was changed to Coast Torpedo Boat No. 11 in August 1918 to free the name "Barney" for a newer destroyer. She was ordered to the Philadelphia Navy Yard in early 1919, decommissioned for the final time on March 11, 1919, and struck from the Navy list later that year. The vessel was sold for scrap in July 1920. This vessel exemplifies the transition period of naval warfare, serving primarily in training, patrol, and reserve roles, and reflects the evolution of early 20th-century torpedo boat design and naval strategy.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.