USS ''Canandaigua'' was a sloop-of-war which displaced , with steam engine screw, acquired by the

Union Navy The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were un ...

during the second year of 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 ...

. After the war, ''Canandaigua'' was retained and placed in operation in Europe and elsewhere. With her heavy guns (three of them rifled) and speed of , she was an ideal and successful

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

in the

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 Atlanti ...

of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Service history

''Canandaigua''—a screw sloop—was launched on March 28, 1862, by

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

, and commissioned on August 1, 1862, with Commander J. F. Green in command. ''Canandaigua'' reported to the

South 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 ...

off Charleston, South Carolina on August 26, 1862, adding to the Union capability to isolate the Confederacy from overseas supplies. Off Charleston on May 15, 1863, ''Canandaigua'' took the sloop ''Secesh''; later she destroyed another blockade runner, and aided in the capture of a schooner and a steamer in the same area. In addition to blockading, ''Canandaigua'' cooperated with

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

forces taking part in the long series of attacks on positions in

Charleston harbor The Charleston Harbor is an inlet (8 sq mi/20.7 km²) of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Islands shelter the entrance. Charleston ...

in 1863–1864. On February 17, 1864, she rescued 150 members of the crew of when she fell victim to the historic attack of the Confederate submarine CSS ''H. L. Hunley''. ''Canandaigua'' sailed for the

on March 26, 1865, and was decommissioned there on April 8. Recommissioned on November 22, ''Canandaigua'' cruised on the

European Station The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron and renamed following the American Civil Wa ...

until February 1869, when she began three years of repairs at New York Navy Yard. She was renamed ''Detroit'' on May 15, 1869, but returned to her original name on August 10. Her last cruise (1872–1875) was in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

with the North Atlantic Station's detachment there. Out of commission at

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 ...

after November 8, 1875, she remained in ordinary until broken up in 1884.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canandaigua Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Boston Sloops of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1862 ships