The USS Machias (PG-5) was a schooner-rigged gunboat built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, with her keel laid in February 1891. She was launched on December 8, 1891, and commissioned at Portsmouth Navy Yard on July 20, 1893, under the command of Commander Charles J. Train. The vessel’s design featured schooner rigging, typical for gunboats of her era, optimized for coastal and overseas patrol duties. Throughout her service, Machias demonstrated extensive operational versatility. After initial shakedown along the U.S. East Coast, she was assigned to the North Atlantic station before departing in November 1894 for the Asiatic station, making a lengthy voyage across the Atlantic and through the Suez Canal to arrive in Hong Kong in March 1895. She remained in the Far East for two years, protecting American interests amid the Sino-Japanese War, visiting key treaty ports and engaging in showing the flag from Port Arthur to Saigon. Returning home in March 1898, Machias participated in the Spanish-American War, notably leading the blockade of Cárdenas, Cuba, in May 1898. She served in blockade duties and transported troops and supplies in the Caribbean through 1899. After repairs, she resumed Caribbean patrols and was involved in diplomatic missions, including carrying the U.S. Minister to Venezuela. Recommissioned in 1901, Machias continued Caribbean patrols during the Panamanian Revolution, then transferred to the European Squadron in 1903. She operated along the Mediterranean coast, visited northern Europe, and made goodwill visits to Abyssinia and other ports. From 1908, she was assigned to the Connecticut Naval Militia, conducting annual patrols off New England until 1914. During World War I, Machias was active in European waters, operating out of Gibraltar on antisubmarine patrols. She returned to the U.S. in 1918, and after decommissioning in 1919, was sold to the Mexican Navy in 1920, renamed Agua Prieta. She served as a transport and coast guard vessel along Mexico’s west coast until her disposal in 1935. The USS Machias’s service record highlights her as a versatile vessel, actively engaged in early American naval diplomacy, wartime patrols, and overseas presence during a transformative period in maritime history.

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