The first USS Newark (C-1) was a United States Navy protected cruiser, the first modern cruiser in the US fleet.
She was laid down by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 12 June 1888, launched on 19 March 1890, sponsored by Miss Annie Boutelle, the daughter of Congressman Charles A. Boutelle of Maine, and commissioned on 2 February 1891, Captain Silas Casey III in command.