USS Patroon (1859)

History

United States
Laid down:	date unknown
Launched:	date unknown
Acquired:	28 October 1861
Commissioned:	18 March 1862
Decommissioned:	18 November 1862
Struck:	1862 (est.)
Fate:	sold, 30 December 1862
General characteristics
Displacement:	183 tons
Length:	113 ft (34 m)
Beam:	22 ft 5 in (6.83 m)
Draught:	7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
Propulsion:	steam engine screw-propelled
Speed:	not known
Complement:	49
Armament:	one 30-pounder Parrott rifle four 8" guns

USS Patroon (1859) was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Constructed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1861

Patroon, a wooden screw steamer built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859, was purchased by the Navy 28 October 1861 at Trenton, New Jersey, from R.T. Loper; and commissioned at New York Navy Yard 18 March 1862, acting Master Edward McKeige in command.

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Patroon was stationed off the St. Johns River early in May 1862, and she spent most of her naval career operating along the Florida coast, enforcing the blockade, silencing Confederate coastal artillery, and gathering intelligence about Southern defenses.

Patroon successfully duels with batteries at St. John's Bluff

The highlight of her service came 11 September, when, with USS Uncas, she dueled with Confederate batteries at St. John's Bluff, Florida. Although Uncas was damaged, the Union ships forced their adversaries to abandon their positions and retire inland out of range.

A leaky ship, Patroon was sent north for decommissioning

However, from the first, leaking and a variety of other problems limited Patroon's effectiveness, and she was soon ordered north. Decommissioned 18 November 1862, the steamer was sold at public auction at Philadelphia 30 December 1862.

Patroon purchased by the Union Army

She was subsequently purchased by the Union Army 8 December 1863.

References

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

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