USS Tallapoosa (1863)
 Wash drawing by Clary Ray, circa 1900, depicting Tallapoosa as she appeared during the American Civil War.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Tallapoosa |
| Namesake | A navigable river which rises in Paulding County in northwestern Georgia |
| Builder | New York Navy Yard |
| Laid down | date unknown |
| Launched | 17 February 1863 |
| Commissioned | 13 September 1864 |
| Decommissioned | circa 30 January 1892 |
| Fate | Sold at Montevideo, Uruguay , on 3 March 1892 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sassacus-class gunboat |
| Displacement | 974 tons |
| Length | 205 ft (62 m) |
| Beam | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Draft | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Depth of hold | 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Complement | 190 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | double ended |
USS Tallapoosa was a wooden-hulled, double-ended steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was outfitted with heavy guns for intercepting blockade runners and howitzers for shore bombardment.
Tallapoosa remained in service after the war and served in various capacities, including
Tallapoosa – the first
Civil War service
Searching for CSS Tallahassee
As Tallapoosa was being fitted out, Confederate cruiser Tallahassee was cruising off the Atlantic coast destroying Union shipping from the Virginia Capes to Nova Scotia. Hence, the Union double-ender got underway late in October and spent her first days at sea in seeking the Southern commerce raider.
Her quest took her from
Assigned to the East Gulf blockade
Following repairs at the
Post-war service
After the American Civil War ended, Tallapoosa served in the
Admiral Farragut on board
Reactivated in 1869, the ship became a
Early the following summer, the double-ender carried Farragut from New York City to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to visit the commandant of the navy yard. It was hoped that the cool sea breezes of New England would improve the aged and ailing admiral's health. As Tallapoosa neared Portsmouth on 4 July, she fired an Independence Day salute to her famous passenger, the Navy's highest ranking and most respected officer. Upon hearing the warship's guns, Farragut left his sick-bed, donned his uniform, and walked to the man-of-war's quarterdeck. There he commented, "It would be well if I died now, in harness. ..." A month and 10 days later, Farragut died at Portsmouth.
In 1872, Tallapoosa moved to Annapolis, Maryland, to serve as a training ship at the United States Naval Academy. The following year, she became a transport. While she performed this duty, her years of service began to show, and it became apparent that she needed extensive repair work. Hence, the ship was largely rebuilt at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1874 and 1875. There, revitalized and configured as a single-ender, the veteran warship resumed her role as a dispatch vessel and continued performing as such for almost a decade.
Raised after sinking
Shortly before midnight on 24 August 1884, Tallapoosa collided with
Sold in Uruguay
Tallapoosa served along the coast of South America until 30 January 1892 when she was condemned as unfit for further service. She was sold at
See also
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
- USS Tallapoosa (1864-1892)
- U.S.S. Tallapoosa Financial Records, 1886-1888 MS 257 held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy