USS Hornet (1865)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 1864 |
| Christened: | Lady Stirling |
| Renamed: | USS Hornet, April 25, 1865 |
| Captured: | squadronipfate=Sold,December15,1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 835 tons |
| Length: | 242 ft (74 m) |
| Beam: | 26 ft 6 in (8.1 m) |
| Draft: | 13 ft 3 in (4.0 m) |
The USS Hornet (1865) was the fifth United States Navy ship to bear the name Hornet. She was originally the Confederate blockade runner CSS Lady Stirling, built by James Ash at Blackwall, England in 1864. She was badly damaged and captured on October 28, 1864 off Wilmington, North Carolina. Following condemnation by a prize court she was bought by the US Navy, repaired, armed, and commissioned as USS Lady Sterling and later renamed USS Hornet on April 25, 1865 In navy service she mainly operated in the Chesapeake Bay squadron. In October 1865, Hornet escorted the Confederate ironclad CSS Stonewall from Cuba to the United States. Hornet was decommissioned on December 15, 1865 and sold into private ownership in 1869. After the war Hornet was involved in several filibustering expeditions to Cuba under the names Hornet and Cuba.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
