USS Velocity (1862)

History
United States
Laid down: not known
Launched: not known
Acquired: 30 September 1862
In service: 1862
Out of service: 21 January 1863
Struck: 1863 (est.)
Captured:
  • captured by Confederate forces,
  • 21 January 1863
Fate: fate unknown
General characteristics
Displacement: 87 tons
Length: not known
Beam: not known
Draught: not known
Propulsion: sail
Speed: varied
Complement: not known
Armament: two 12-pounder howitzers

USS Velocity (1862) was a captured British schooner acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War.

She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Unfortunately for the Union Navy, she was captured, in turn, by the Confederate Navy off the Texas coast.

Her fate as a Confederate blockade runner

Velocity was a British blockade-running schooner captured by USS Kensington and USS Rachel Seaman at Sabine, Texas, on 25 September 1862; and was purchased by the Navy from the Key West prize court, Key West, Florida, on 30 September.

Civil War operations

Assigned to the West Gulf Blockade

Velocity joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron shortly after her acquisition, deploying with the blockade off Sabine Pass. There, on 25 November, she assisted Kensington, Rachel Seaman, and another prize vessel, Dan, in the capture of the British schooner Maria and the Confederate schooner Course.

Blockade is temporarily lifted as Velocity is captured by Confederates

Velocity was, herself, recaptured together with USS Morning Light on 21 January 1863 at Sabine Pass, resulting in a temporary lifting of the Union blockade on the Texas coast.

Post-war history

She is believed to have continued to serve as a Confederate gunboat, but her final disposition is unknown.

See also

References

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

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.