USRC ''Walter Forward'' was a
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
constructed for service with the
United States Revenue Marine. She was more commonly known as USRC ''Forward''. ''Forward'' served with the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
and
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
in
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
waters during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
and was commended for her actions during the
Tabasco River
Grijalva River, formerly known as ''Tabasco River'', ( es, Río Grijalva, known locally also as Río Grande de Chiapas, Río Grande and Mezcalapa River) is a long river in southeastern Mexico."Grijalva." ''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Diction ...
landings by Commodore
Matthew C. Perry
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...
, U.S. Navy. After the war, she was transferred to the
U.S. Coast Survey
The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...
for a short time as USCS ''Walter Forward'' before being returned to the Revenue Marine for service during the 1850s and the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Construction and commissioning
The cutter ''Forward'' was built in Washington, D.C. at a cost of 3,786.75 by William Easby with construction was supervised by Captain Henry Prince, Revenue Marine.
["And Other Duties as Assigned", Pickled Fish and Salted Provisions, p 5][Noble, p 58] Prince apparently captained ''Forward'' from 23 April 1842 to 18 April 1843.
''Forward'' was a topsail schooner of conventional copper-sheathed wood-hull construction with no machinery on board, was long and had a displacement of 139 tons.
She was designed to enforce customs laws and to assist mariners in distress.
''Forward'' was named for
Walter P. Forward, 15th
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
Early service
''Forward'' was commissioned 23 June 1842 and was initially assigned patrol duties at
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
.
On 18 April 1843, she exchanged crews with and was assigned a homeport of
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
. On 16 May 1846 she received orders to report to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
for repairs in preparation to being assigned duties with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy during the Mexican–American War.
[Smith, p 75]
Mexican–American War operations
Service with the U.S. Army
She set sail for the gulf on 23 May 1846 in company with another cutter,
USRC ''Ewing'', and arrived at
Southwest Pass of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
on 19 June 1846. There, General
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
ordered the ship to blockade a stretch of the Mexican coast near
Soto la Marina Soto la Marina is a town in Soto la Marina Municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It was directly hit by Hurricane Alex in 2010. It is located on the banks of the Soto la Marina river, just up river from the small ocean port of ...
and capture any ships engaged in trade with the enemy. The squadron that ''Forward'' was assigned to performed scouting, convoy, towing, and blockade duties as well transporting troops and supplies for the Army and occupied her during mid-summer 1846.
Service with the U.S. Navy
On 23 August 1846, she received orders to report to Commodore
David Conner's naval squadron off
Tampico, Mexico
Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...
. Four days later, she entered the anchorage at
Antón Lizardo
Antón is a corregimiento in Antón District, Coclé Province, Panama. It is located near the north-western shore of the Gulf of Panama
The Gulf of Panama ( es, Golfo de Panamá) is a gulf of the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of Pana ...
and began patrolling off Tampico. That assignment lasted until 15 September 1846 when she received orders transferring her to the U.S. Navy under Commodore Conner at which time she moved farther down the coast to join the blockade of
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
.
[Record of Movements, p 99] In mid-October 1846, she joined a force commanded by Commodore
Matthew Calbraith Perry
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the op ...
, U.S. Navy. On 15 October 1846, Perry's squadron attempted to cross the bar at the mouth of the river at
Alvarado. The steamer led the way and succeeded in making her crossing, ''Forward'' followed, in tow of sister
revenue cutter
A cutter is a type of watercraft. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan) of a sailing vessel (but with regional differences in definition), to a governmental enforcement agency vessel (such as a coast guard or bor ...
, . ''McLane'' grounded on the bar while the three ships she towed fouled each other's towlines. ''Vixen'' engaged the Mexican batteries on shore but, when it became apparent that ''McLane'' would never succeed in getting across the bar, she and her tows retired. Luckily, ''McLane'' came off the bar, and all American ships retired.
[King, p 133] On 16 October ''Forward'' set sail for a similar, but far more successful, amphibious operation at the mouth of the Tabasco River. Successfully navigating the bar on 23 October 1846, the force quickly seized the town of
Frontera and took several prizes in the process. ''Forward'' and the other small steamers attached to Perry's force then continued the foray, sailing up the river through hostile territory to the town of Tabasco. ''Forward'' supplied part of her crew as a landing party along with Marines that were from USS ''Vixen'' and they captured the town of Tabasco.
[Evans, p 62] The flotilla seized 10 vessels as prizes before returning to the ocean on 26 October 1846.
[Record of Movements, p 101] However, ''Forward'' along with ''McLane'' remained at Frontera until late November 1846, engaged in the destruction of the captured Mexican shipping and maintaining a blockade of the river.
[Evans, p 63] She departed the area on 21 November 1846 and returned to the base at Anton Lizardo on 21 November 1846.
[Record of Movements, p 102] In December 1846, ''Forward'' left the Mexican coast to carry dispatches to
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, wh ...
in
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973, and
.
She returned to blockade duty on 7 February 1847 and took station off Veracruz once again on 9 February 1847. She continued routine blockade operations at various points along the eastern coast of Mexico until April 1847. On 15 April 1847, she received orders to set sail for Wilmington voyaging by way of New Orleans, and reached her destination on 23 May 1847.
[Record of Movements, p 104] Repairs completed in the summer of 1847 after reaching Wilmington cost about 2,500.
[King, p 136] ''Forward'' received a commendation from Commodore Perry for her participation in the Tabasco River landings, where-in he said in part:
Transfer to the U.S. Coast Survey
On 30 October 1847, ''Forward'' was transferred to the United States Coast Survey. On 16 December the Revenue Marine traded the Coast Survey the newly commissioned steamer for ''Forward''. ''Forward'' returned to Revenue Marine service 6 March 1848 with a homeport of Wilmington.
1848–1861
On 6 January 1854 she was one of six Revenue Marine cutters stationed along the Atlantic coast ordered to search for the disabled steamer ''San Francisco'' in the vicinity of
Bermuda
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. After failing to locate the vessel the search was called off 18 January.
[Record of Movements, p 85] On 20 April 1856 she was sent to the
Philadelphia Navy Yard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries.
Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
for repairs with the repairs completed by 27 June. She returned to the yard on 21 October 1857 for additional repairs and was able to return to service at Wilmington 1 December. On 26 April 1861 she was ordered to Philadelphia to receive additional armament and to cooperate with the U.S. Navy.
American Civil War service
On 4 May 1861, she sailed for
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
under the orders of General
Benjamin F. Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is best ...
where she was tasked with keeping
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
open for troop transports from
Perryville, Maryland
Perryville is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,361 at the 2010 census. The town is located near an access for Interstate 95, on the north side of the outlet of the Susquehanna River.
History
Perryville was fir ...
to Annapolis and to "capture or sink any unfriendly craft, after taking out their crews".
[Evans, p 78] This duty proved difficult for the schooner to perform and the captain of ''Forward'' sometimes had to ask any passing steamers for a tow.
[King, p 158] On 20 July she sailed from Annapolis to Baltimore and was stationed at the mouth of
Severn River on 31 August. On 1 October ''Forward'' was returned to Revenue Marine control and she returned to Philadelphia on 19 October for repairs before reporting to
New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on 4 February 1862. On 20 February she resumed duties at Wilmington and remained there until ordered to assume blockade duties at
Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina (after Bath, Nor ...
on 3 June. ''Forward'' arrived at Beaufort 27 June and was said to have remained there until 18 November 1865.
However, on 31 January 1863, she assisted in extinguishing a fire which had broken out on the
full-rigged ship
A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel's sail plan with three or more masts, all of them square-rigged. A full-rigged ship is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged. Such vessels also have each mast stepped in three se ...
''Joseph Gilchrist'' at
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
Post-war decommissioning and sale
''Forward'' arrived at Baltimore on 29 November 1865 and was ordered de-commissioned and sold on 30 November for approximately $5,000.
See also
*
Union blockade
The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading.
The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...
Notes
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;References used
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Forward
Ships of the United States Coast Guard
Ships built in the District of Columbia
Mexican–American War ships of the United States
Gunboats of the United States Navy
Ships of the Union Navy
Schooners of the United States Navy
1842 ships