ussprairiead5

According to the official military historians: "1912 Cuba A negro uprising, organized by the “Independientes de Color”, occurred in Cuba during May, 1912, assumed such proportions that on the 23rd of May the Navy Department ordered marines to the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. U.S.S. Prairie and U.S.S. Paducah A provisional brigade of marines consisting of 69 officers and 2,008 enlisted men, under the command of Colonel Lincoln Karmany, U.S.M.C., was assembled at Philadelphia, Pa., and Norfolk, Va., for temporary foreign tropical shore service. The First Regiment, consisting of 29 officers and 756 men under the command of Colonel George Barnett, U.S.M.C., embarked on board the U.S.S. Prairie, at Philadelphia, Pa., and sailed on May 23, 1912, for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the U.S.S. Praire arrived on May 28, 1912, and the regiment disembarked, less Company A, and went into camp." www.history.navy.mil/library/online/haiti_list_exp.htm#1911

If this is from the same photo shoot as the LoC photo titled "Boston Marines going on PRAIRIE" (photo dated 3/11), then the following excerpt from "A History of the 1st Marines," by Maj John H Johnstone, probably tells us what's going on: "The 1st Regiment, 1st Provisional Brigade, was organized aboard the USS PRAIRIE on 8 March 1911 for temporary foreign shore service in Cuba. Actually, this maneuver was designed as a show of force to dissuade Mexican rebel activities near the border of the United States. The Marine Corps, having demonstrated its readiness and ability to move quickly from either coast to troubled areas, returned the regiment to Philadelphia by 22 June with the knowledge that it could be readily mobilized if again needed." A reader of Brainiac (my column/blog in/for the Boston Globe's Ideas section) sent the excerpt. Here's a blog entry dedicated to guesses about the other photo.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Prairie_(AD-5)

Boy, looks like the shells they used in those days didn't do much!

Awesome keep it up!