Captioned 'The Columbia in Dry Dock at Philadelphia -- Showing her Powerful Triple Screws,' this photograph documents USS Columbia (C-12) undergoing maintenance in dry dock. Commissioned in 1894, Columbia was among the first U.S. Navy protected cruisers fitted with triple-screw, triple-expansion machinery, a design that made her one of the fastest warships of her era, capable of over 22 knots. This close view of her stern and propellers, taken by a crewman aboard the ship, highlights the advanced marine engineering that distinguished Columbia within the 'New Navy' of the late nineteenth century. Project: 218602