USS ''Belle'' was a steamer acquired by the

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

during 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 ...

. She was used by the Union Navy for various tasks, including those of a

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...

Service history

''Belle''—a screw tug completed at

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 ...

, early in 1864—operated briefly at Boston, Massachusetts, before she was purchased there by the Union Navy on June 2, 1864. Commissioned in the next day or so, the tug headed south on June 8 to join the

North Atlantic Blockading Squadron 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 ...

. The

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

refitted ''Belle'' to serve as a

so that she might help defend larger Union

warships A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and ...

in the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

against attacks by the Confederate ironclad ram ''

CSS Albemarle CSS ''Albemarle'' was a steam-powered casemate ironclad ram of the Confederate Navy (and later the second ''Albemarle'' of the United States Navy), named for an estuary in North Carolina which was named for General George Monck, the first Duk ...

'' that, the previous spring, had emerged from the

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

and defeated a Union flotilla. Ready by late July, ''Belle'' and three other tugs were towed to

Hatteras Inlet Hatteras Inlet is an estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County. History ...

by the sidewheel steamer , entered the sounds, and proceeded under their own power to the mouth of the Roanoke River. There, ''Belle'' performed picket duty, ready to sound the alarm should ''Albemarle'' reappear and then to attempt to torpedo the Southern ram. She continued this duty until Lt. William B. Cushing sank ''Albemarle'' in a daring attack on the night of October 27–28, 1864. This victory cleared the way for a Union effort to retake

Plymouth, North Carolina Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,878 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Plymouth is located on the Roanoke River about seven miles (11 km) upr ...

, on the last day of October 1864. ''Belle'', by then commanded by Acting Master James G. Green, took part in the operation lashed to the port and unengaged side of so that she might keep her partner in motion should that double-ender’s engines be disabled. The Northern warships entered the Roanoke River from Middle River above Plymouth and headed downstream toward the Confederate defensive works. About half an hour before noon, they opened fire; and, after almost an hour of bitter fighting, the Southern troops withdrew, leaving the Union forces in control of the area. Following that action, ''Belle'' remained in the sounds until after the collapse of the Confederacy the following spring. On April 10, 1865, the day after General Robert E. Lee surrendered at

Appomattox, Virginia Appomattox is a town in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,733 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Appomattox County. Appomattox is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town ...

, she had the satisfaction of accompanying the raised ''Albemarle'' to Hatteras Inlet, as her former foe began her voyage to

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. Late in May 1865, ''Belle'' left North Carolina waters and headed for New York City where she was sold at auction on July 12, 1865 to Cozzens and Co. Re-documented on September 9, 1865, the ship operated in private hands until abandoned in 1891.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belle Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Tugs of the United States Navy Torpedo boats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in Philadelphia 1864 ships