Aboard the USS Brooklyn in 1896

(via Retronaut)  Commissioned in December 1896, the USS Brooklyn was the Navy’s third armored cruiser, after the New York and the famously ill-fated Maine. Weighing in at more than 9,000 tons, Brooklyn boasted eight 8-inch guns, 12 5-inch guns, and four 6-pounder guns. She was crewed by a complement of 561 enlisted men and officers, commanded by Captain Francis Augustus Cook.  These 1896 photos by the Detroit Photographic Company offer an impressive look at the ship’s armaments and features, as well as an intimate record of the pastimes and diversions of the sailors on board.