(Battleship No. 3: dp. 11,688; l. 351'2"; b. 69'3"; dr. 24'0"; s. 16 k.; cpl. 473; a. 4 13", 8 8", 4 6", 20 6-pdr., 6 1-pdr., 6 18" tt. (surf.); cl. Indiana)

Oregon (Battleship No. 3) was laid down on November 19, 1891, by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California. She was launched on October 26, 1893, sponsored by Miss Daisy Ainsworth, and commissioned on July 15, 1896, with Captain Henry L. Howison in command.

After commissioning, Oregon was fitted out for duty on the Pacific Station, where she served for a short time. Leaving drydock on February 16, 1898, she received news that Maine had exploded in Havana harbor the previous day. As tensions with Spain grew, Oregon arrived in San Francisco on March 9 and loaded ammunition. Three days later, she was ordered on a historic voyage around South America to the East Coast for action in the impending war with Spain.

Oregon departed San Francisco on March 19 for Callao, Peru, the first coaling stop on her journey. Arriving in Callao on April 4 and departing several days later, her commanding officer, Captain Charles E. Clark, elected not to stop at Valparaiso, Chile, for coal but to continue through the Straits of Magellan. On April 16, Oregon entered the Straits and encountered a severe gale, obscuring the rocky coastline. She anchored on a rocky shelf near Cape Forward and safely weathered the night. By dawn on April 17, the gale moderated, and Oregon proceeded to Punta Arenas, where she was joined by the gunboat Marietta, also sailing to the East Coast.

Both ships coaled and departed on April 21 for Rio de Janeiro, keeping their guns manned due to a rumored Spanish torpedo boat in the area. Delayed by head seas and winds, they didn't reach Rio until April 30. There, Oregon received news of the declaration of war against Spain and departed on May 4. With a brief stop in Bahia, Brazil, she arrived in Barbados for coal on May 18, and anchored off Jupiter Inlet, Florida, on May 24, reporting ready for battle. Oregon had sailed over 14,000 miles since leaving San Francisco 66 days earlier. The voyage demonstrated the military capabilities of a heavy battleship in all conditions and underscored the need for the Panama Canal.

On May 26, Oregon proceeded to the Navy Base at Key West, joined Admiral Sampson's fleet two days later, and arrived off Santiago, Cuba, on June 1 to shell military installations and help destroy Admiral Cervera's fleet on July 3. Oregon then went to the New York Navy Yard for a refit and, in October, sailed for the Asiatic station.

Arriving in Manila on March 18, 1899, Oregon remained in the area until the following February. She cooperated with the Army during the Philippine Insurrection, performing blockade duty in Manila Bay and off Lingayen Gulf, serving as a station ship, and aiding in the capture of Vigan.

Departing Cavite on February 13, 1900, Oregon cruised in Japanese waters until May, then went to Hong Kong. Ordered to proceed to Taku for the Boxer Rebellion, she departed on June 23 and grounded on an uncharted rock in the Straits of Pechili on June 28. Damaged and taking on water, Oregon was towed to Hope Sound for temporary repair and then to Kure, Japan, for final repairs.

Resuming her journey to China on August 29, 1900, Oregon cruised off the Yangtze River and served as a station ship at Woosung. Departing on May 5, 1901, she sailed via Yokohama and Honolulu, arriving in San Francisco on June 12, and entered Puget Sound Navy Yard on July 6 for an overhaul.

Oregon remained in the Puget Sound area for over a year and returned to Asiatic waters on March 18, 1903. She visited various Chinese, Japanese, and Philippine ports before returning to the West Coast in February 1906 and decommissioning at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on April 27.

Oregon recommissioned on August 29, 1911, but remained in reserve until October when she sailed to San Diego. The following years were relatively inactive, as she operated out of West Coast ports. On April 9, 1913, she was placed in ordinary at Bremerton, Washington, and on September 16, 1914, entered a reserve status, although still commissioned. Fully commissioned again on January 2, 1915, Oregon sailed to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. From February 11, 1916, to April 7, 1917, she was in reserve at San Francisco. Returning to full commission on April 7, 1917, Oregon first operated on the West Coast, then escorted transports for the Siberian Expedition. After World War I, she decommissioned at Bremerton on June 12, 1919. From August 21 to October 4, she recommissioned briefly and served as the reviewing ship for President Woodrow Wilson during the arrival of the Pacific Fleet in Seattle.

With the adoption of ship classification symbols on July 17, 1920, Oregon was redesignated BB-3. In 1921, a movement began to preserve the battleship as a historic and sentimental relic in Oregon.

In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty, Oregon was rendered incapable of further warlike service on January 4, 1924, and retained as a naval relic, classified as "unclassified." In June 1925, she was loaned to the State of Oregon, restored, and moored in Portland as a floating monument and museum.

Redesignated IX-22 on February 17, 1941, Oregon's scrap value was deemed vital to the World War II effort. She was struck from the Navy List on November 2, 1942, and sold on December 7. Towed to Kalama, Washington, for dismantling in March, the Navy requested that scrapping halt at the main deck. She was used as a storage hulk or breakwater in the reconquest of Guam, loaded with dynamite and ammunition, and towed to the island by July 1944.

The hulk remained at Guam for several years. During a typhoon on November 14-15, 1948, she broke free and drifted to sea. Located 500 miles southeast of Guam on December 8, she was towed back and sold on March 15, 1956, to the Massey Supply Corp., resold to the Iwai Sanggo Co., towed to Kawasaki, Japan, and scrapped.