USS Raleigh (C-8) was a United States Navy protected cruiser commissioned in 1894 and in periodic service until 1919. The second ship named Raleigh, C-8 was laid down on 19 December 1889 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia; launched 31 March 1892; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred W. Haywood; and commissioned on 17 April 1894, Captain Merrill Miller in command. The ship was named after the City of Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina.