USS Franklin (1864)

Career

Laid down:	1854
Launched:	17 September 1864
Commissioned:	3 June 1867
Decommissioned:	14 October 1915
Fate:	sold 1915
Struck:	26 October 1915
General characteristics
Displacement:	5,170 tons
Length:	265 ft (80.77 m)
Beam:	53.7 ft (16.37 m)
Draft:	17 ft (5.18 m)
Complement:	??
Armament:	1 x 11-inch gun, 34 x 9-inch guns, 4 x 100-pounder guns

For other ships of the same name, see USS Franklin.

The fourth USS Franklin of the United States Navy was a screw frigate.

The ship was laid down at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1854, and built in part of materials salvaged from the previous Franklin. For a time housed over, she was launched on 17 September 1864, commissioned on 3 June 1867 at Boston, and on 28 June sailed from New York as flagship of Admiral David Farragut who assumed command of the European Squadron. Relieved by Ticonderoga she arrived back in New York on 10 November 1868.

Her second European cruise, beginning on 28 January 1869, was as flagship for Rear Admiral William Radford. She served with the European Squadron until 30 September 1871 when she sailed for the United States. On 13 November 1871 she was decommissioned at Boston.

Recommissioned on 15 December 1873, she sailed on the North Atlantic Station. On 11 April 1874 she stood out to sea to join the European Squadron as flagship until 14 September 1876.

Franklin was placed out of commission at Norfolk, Virginia on 2 March 1877 and recommissioned the same day as receiving ship for the Naval Station Norfolk, continuing in this service until 14 October 1915 which marked her final decommissioning. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 October 1915 and sold.

[edit] References

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