USS Polaris (1871)

USS Polaris

Polaris at Washington Navy Yard
History
United States
Name	USS Periwinkle
Operator	Union Navy
Acquired	December 9, 1864 (1864-12-09)
Commissioned	January 15, 1865
Homeport	Norfolk Navy Yard
History
Name	USS Polaris
Namesake	Alpha Ursae Minoris
Operator	Hall scientific expedition
Acquired	June 9, 1871
Commissioned	June 29, 1871
Homeport	Washington Navy Yard
Sunk:	October 24, 1872 (1872-10-24), off Etah[citation needed]
General characteristics (1864)
Type	Screw steamer
Displacement	383 tons
Length	140 feet (43 meters)
Beam	28 feet (9 meters)
Draft	10+1⁄2 feet (3 meters)
Depth of hold	12 feet (4 meters)
Sail plan	Two-mast schooner rig
Complement	37 officers and men

USS Polaris, originally called the America, was an 1864-

.

After the war, the ship was retained by the

. It was on this voyage that she proceeded into Arctic waters, only to have her hull crushed by the ice in October 1872.

Construction

America, a heavy screw tugboat built at Philadelphia, in 1864, was purchased by the Union Navy December 9, 1864, from John W. Lynn; renamed Periwinkle; and commissioned early in January 1865, acting Master Henry C. Macy in command.

Potomac Flotilla

The two-masted, schooner-rigged, white oak tug joined the Potomac Flotilla on January 15, 1865, as a gunboat, operating primarily in the Rappahannock River.

In mid-March, a fleet of

rivers to protect them. The Flotilla also interrupted contraband business between lower Maryland and Virginia, and cleared the rivers of mines, and fought guerillas ashore.

After the

until placed in ordinary during 1867.

Furthest North

In late 1870, she was selected for service with the

on June 9 to complete loading of stores and provisions for the expedition. She set sail in July 1871.

Aiming for the

, who had debarked to land provisions after the hull of the Polaris had begun to leak, only to have the section of the ice floe they were on break away from the section holding the Polaris.

The lost party floated for 196 days and were subsequently rescued separately from the vessel.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links