- USS Rose (1863)
USS "Rose" (1863) was a screw steamer acquired by the
Union Navy during theAmerican Civil War .She was used by the Union Navy as a
tugboat andammunition ship in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.Commissioned in New York City as a tugboat in 1864
The wooden screw steamer "Ai Fitch" was purchased by the Navy on
12 December 1863 from Laurence Fitch,New York City ; fitted out for service as a tug; and commissioned on8 February 1864 , Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Pennington in command.Civil War service
Supporting McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign
Ordered to
New Orleans, Louisiana , to join theWest Gulf Blockading Squadron , she departedNew York City soon after commissioning and proceeded toHampton Roads, Virginia , where she was detained to support GeneralGeorge B. McClellan 's army during thePeninsular Campaign .On
5 May she got underway to tow the monitor "Tecumseh" up the James River to support Union Army forces converging onPetersburg, Virginia . Remaining on the river well into June, she performed towing duties, tender services, and carried ammunition and powder up fromCity Point, Virginia . On the 24th she returned to Hampton Roads and prepared to resume her cruise to theGulf of Mexico .Reassigned to the Gulf of Mexico
"Rose" departed Hampton Roads on
26 July and arrived inMississippi Sound on5 August . After receiving a second gun, a heavy 12-pounder, she proceeded toMobile Bay where she remained into September.She then shifted back to Mississippi Sound where she added patrol duty to her other duties. In December she captured a small vessel laden with
turpentine . In late February1865 , "Rose" steamed toNew Orleans, Louisiana ; repaired; and in mid-April returned toMobile, Alabama , to assist in clearing channels in the bay. She remained in the Mobile area performing tug service into the fall, then shifted toPensacola, Florida , where, being retained for service after the Civil War, she was assigned to the navy yard.Post-war decommissioning and sale
"Rose" was struck from the
Navy list on3 March 1883 and sold on20 September 1883 .References
See also
*
United States Navy
*American Civil War External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r9/rose-i.htm USS Rose]
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