The USS Terror (Monitor No. 4) was an iron-hulled, twin-screw, double-turreted monitor of the Amphitrite class, originally a rebuilt version of the earlier vessel Agamenticus. Laid down on June 23, 1874, at Philadelphia by William Cramp & Sons under orders from Secretary of the Navy George M. Robeson, her construction was delayed and suspended in 1877, resuming only six years later. She was launched on March 24, 1883, and delivered to the Navy in 1887, but remained unfinished until she was completed at the New York Navy Yard over the next seven years. She was finally commissioned on April 15, 1896, in New York City. USS Terror measured approximately 249 feet in length with a beam of about 43 feet, and her iron hull was designed for coastal defense and operations. She was powered by twin screws, which provided her with maneuverability and speed suitable for her duties. Assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron, Terror operated along the U.S. East Coast, from Tompkinsville, New York, to Charleston, South Carolina, and participated in various activities through 1897 and 1898. Notably, she collided with the steam yacht Penelope in May 1897. During the Spanish-American War, Terror played an active combat role, arriving at Key West in April 1898 and engaging in the blockade of Cuba. She captured and later released a Cuban vessel on her first day of hostilities, and subsequently took Spanish ships Ambrosia Bolivar and Guido, sending them to Florida. Terror participated in the bombardment of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 12, 1898, engaging Spanish shore batteries in a spirited three-hour duel, during which she fired thirty-one 10-inch shells, scoring a direct hit on a key battery. After the war, she continued cruising in the West Indies before returning north, and was decommissioned in 1899. Later, Terror served as a practice ship at the Naval Academy and was used for midshipman training until her decommissioning in 1906. Struck from the Navy list in 1915, she became a test hulk at the Naval Proving Grounds, and was eventually sold for scrap in 1921. She sank off Shooters Island in the 1920s but was later raised and scrapped by 1930. Her service history highlights her role in coastal defense, the Spanish-American War, and naval training, making her a notable example of late 19th-century U.S. coastal and combat naval architecture.

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