- USS Perry (1843)
USS "Perry" (1843) was a
brig commissioned by theUnion Navy prior to theAmerican Civil War . She was tasked by the Navy for various missions, including those related to diplomatic tensions withParaguay , theMexican-American War , theslave trade , and theAmerican Civil War ."Perry" was launched in May
1843 by theNorfolk Navy Yard ; and commissioned13 October 1843 , Comdr. Samuel F. Du Pont in command.Pre-Civil War round-the-world cruise
The new brig departed
Norfolk, Virginia ,3 December 1843 , called atRio de Janeiro, Brazil , and proceeded viaCapetown, South Africa , and theStraits of Sunda toMacau , arriving27 August 1844 . There she embarkedCaleb Cushing , the first American Commissioner toChina , and sailed viaHong Kong for the coast ofMexico , arrivingMazatlan, Mexico ,4 November . Four days later she debarked Cushing at San Blas, Mexico, for an overland journey toVera Cruz, Mexico , to catch a ship home. "Perry" then sailed viaHonolulu for theSociety Islands and theMarquesas where she helped win respect and fair dealing for American whalers. She departedTahiti 16 April 1845 ; visitedValparaiso, Chile ; sailed “round the Horn”, reached Norfolk, Virginia,17 September ; and decommissioned on the 25th.Recommissioned for the war with Mexico
"Perry" recommissioned
16 May 1846 , three days after war was declared onMexico , and four days later sailed for theGulf of Mexico to blockade Mexican ports. However, betweenCuba and the coast ofFlorida , she was dismasted in ahurricane and returned toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , for repairs4 December 1846 .Capturing ships engaged in the slave trade
"Perry" got under way from Philadelphia
16 May 1847 to join the Brazil Squadron protecting American interests betweenRio de Janeiro, Brazil andBuenos Aires, Argentina . Informed that suspected slavers were bound for the coast ofAfrica under false papers, she seized American bark "Ann D. Richardson" off Rio de Janeiro16 December . Two days later, she took American brig "Independence". Investigation proved that both ships had been engaged in the slave trade and were sent toNew York City underprize crews . "Perry" returned from the Brazil Squadron to Norfolk10 July 1849 and decommissioned there four days later.Recommissioned to fight the continuing slave trade
"Perry" recommissioned
17 November 1849 and sailed for the west coast of Africa to help suppress the slave trade. But for a period in ordinary inNew York City ,26 December 1851 to27 April 1852 , the brig continued this duty until returning to Norfolk14 July 1854 and decommissioning on the 20th.Recommissioned to show a Naval force in Paraguay
With the exception of a month in commission,
20 March to27 April 1855 , "Perry" remained in ordinary at Norfolk until recommissioning21 January 1858 . She departedHampton Roads 15 February to serve in the expedition, commanded by Flag OfficerWilliam B. Shubrick , protesting an unprovoked attack on "Waterwitch"1 February 1855 . Thetask force arrived atAsuncion, Paraguay 29 January 1859 and quickly wonJames B. Bowlin , the American Special Commissioner, a respectful hearing. Sea power here achieved what four years of diplomacy had failed to obtain: an apology, an indemnity for the family of an American sailor killed in the fight, and a commercial treaty advantageous to theUnited States . The brig returned to New York5 June 1860 and decommissioned ten days later.Recommissioned to serve the Union Navy in the Civil War
"Perry" remained inactive until the outbreak of the Civil War, recommissioning
23 April . She headed south the same day escorting three transports carrying some 3,000 troops toAnnapolis, Maryland , where they landed on the 25th to reinforce the 7th Infantry Regiment then moving South to reinforce the Nation’s threatened capital. She then returned to New York City to prepare for duty as a blockader and steamed into Hampton Roads18 May to join the newly establishedAtlantic Blockading Squadron . A week later she stood out fromFort Monroe and headed south forFernandina, Florida . On the last day of May, she captured Confederate blockade runner "Hannah M. Johnson" about 15 miles southeast ofCape Lookout, North Carolina . The brig took Confederate privateer "Savannah"3 June , and subsequently turned two British ships away from the Southern coast before reaching her blockade station off the mouth of the St. Mary’s river on the 11th.Protecting Washington, D.C., by taking position on the Potomac
With water running low and needing repairs, "Perry" sailed north
8 July , reaching Washington the 21st, eve of the Union defeat in thefirst Battle of Bull Run . When word of the disaster reached theWashington Navy Yard , the brig moved into thePotomac River where her guns could command the approaches toAlexandria, Virginia , against a possible Confederate advance against the Federal capital. A score of sailors from "Perry" landed to help man the batteries atFort Ellsworth . She continued to serve in thePotomac Flotilla for the rest of the year and captured sloops "Blooming Youth" and "Ellen Jane".Showing the “colors” in Columbia
Late in December, "Perry" sailed for Aspinwall, Colombia, where she arrived
14 May 1862 . The brig headed home13 November , and decommissioned at New York3 January 1863 for repairs.Recommissioned to patrol the North Carolina coast
"Perry" recommissioned
28 February and a month later took station offNew Inlet, North Carolina . On31 March she capturedschooner "Sue", and on1 May she took schooner "Alma" attempting to slip into Beaufort laden with salt and herring fromBermuda . She sailed North13 August .Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade
Following repairs at
Boston, Massachusetts , the brig joined theSouth Atlantic Blockading Squadron atPort Royal, South Carolina .15 November . After serving offMurrell’s Inlet, North Carolina , until15 December and offCharleston, South Carolina , during the siege, she sailed28 January 1864 to blockade station offFernandina, Florida , where she remained until the end of the Civil War.Post-Civil War decommissioning and sale
"Perry" decommissioned at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ,29 April and was sold at public auction there10 August 1865 .References
See also
*
United States Navy
*American Civil War External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p5/perry-i.htm USS Perry]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.