USS Tioga
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Laid down | 1861 |
Launched | 18 April 1862 |
Acquired | 1862 |
Commissioned | 30 June 1862 |
Decommissioned | 29 June 1864 |
In service | 6 June 1865 |
Out of service | 8 May 1866 |
Stricken | 1866 (est.) |
Fate | Sold, 15 October 1867 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Steamer Gunboat |
Displacement | 819 tons |
Length | 209 ft (64 m) |
Beam | 34 ft 11 in (10.64 m) |
Draft | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
Depth of hold | 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 11.5 knots |
Complement | 105 |
Armament |
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USS Tioga was a large steamer with powerful guns, acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
Tioga was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.
Tioga – one of 12 double-ended steam gunboats laid down in the summer and fall of 1861 – was launched by the Boston Navy Yard on 18 April 1862; sponsored by Mrs. H. P. Grace; and commissioned on 30 June 1862, Lt. George W. Rodgers in command.
Civil War operations
Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade
The double-ender sailed for
Maintaining control of the James River for McClellan
One of the first ships to "screen an aircraft carrier"
While in the James River Flotilla, Tioga escorted supply ships and frequently exchanged fire with Southern batteries and sharpshooters ashore. One of her more unusual duties during this assignment was the chore of protecting the barge which carried and launched an observation balloon to reconnoiter Confederate positions and troop deployments. Thus, it has been claimed jocularly that she was one of the first warships to screen an aircraft carrier.
Supporting General McClellan and defending Washington
During much of August, Tioga helped to cover the movement of Union troops as McClellan evacuated the
Reassigned to the West India Squadron
However, before Tioga could become an effective part of the Potomac Flotilla, a change of orders reassigned her to the newly established West India Squadron, formed – under the command of Commodore Charles Wilkes – to counter the threat posed by the recent commissioning of the Confederate commerce raider Florida and the expected activation of the steam warship then being built for the South in England under the designation 290 which would prey on Northern shipping as Alabama. While Tioga never encountered either of these adversaries which would win renown under Confederate colors, she did compile an impressive score against blockade runners.
Maintaining an impressive score against blockade runners
She took her first prize on 14 February 1863, when she overhauled Avon and sent that English
On 20 June, while cruising in company with USS Santiago de Cuba and USS Octorara, Tioga sighted a strange steamer; and the three Union ships gave chase. When they noticed a large quantity of cotton floating in the water, Tioga and Octorara hove to and picked up the jettisoned cargo, while Santiago de Cuba kept up the pursuit and overtook the English steamer Victory which she sent to Boston, Massachusetts, under a prize crew.
A week later, Tioga captured Julia as that English schooner attempted to slip through the Union blockade laden with cotton and rosin. On 25 September, she took Confederate steamer Herald which had escaped from the South with a cargo of cotton and naval stores.
Reassigned to the East Gulf Blockade
Three days before the gunboat made this capture, orders had left Washington to transfer Tioga to the
Doing her best in intercepting blockade runners
Early the following year, she resumed her success as a bane to
Crew stricken with yellow fever, ship is sent north and decommissioned
Late in the spring of 1864, yellow fever broke out on board Tioga; and, on 19 June, she was ordered north. She arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on the 27th and was decommissioned two days later but remained in quarantine in the lower harbor until October.
Post-war operations
After an overhaul had been completed and the Civil War had ended, Tioga was recommissioned at Portsmouth on 6 June 1865 and cruised off the New England coast through the summer. In October, the ship was transferred to the Gulf Squadron; and she arrived at Pensacola, Florida, on 30 November. The double-ender cruised in the Gulf of Mexico, principally off the coast of Texas, through the winter and into the spring of 1866.
Final decommissioning and sale
Ordered north, Tioga arrived at New York City on 8 May and was laid up in the navy yard there until she was sold on 15 October 1867.
See also
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.