USS Rowan (TB-8)

USS Rowan (Torpedo Boat No. 8) was a Foote-class torpedo boat built for the United States Navy in the late 1890s. Named for Vice Admiral Stephen Clegg Rowan, she was laid down in 1896 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, launched in 1897, and commissioned in 1899.

Rowan served primarily along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean, participating in various training exercises and fleet maneuvers. Her duties mainly consisted of coastal patrol and acting as a training platform for naval reservists. She saw no combat action during her service.

Decommissioned in 1912, Rowan was struck from the Navy List in 1919 and sold later that year. She represents a class of torpedo boats that played a role in the US Navy's transition to a modern, steel-hulled fleet at the turn of the 20th century, although they were quickly rendered obsolete by larger and more capable destroyers.