The third USS ''Dolphin'' was the
brig in the
United States 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 ...
. Her plans were the basis of other brigs of that time. She was named for the
aquatic mammal
Aquatic and semiaquatic mammals are a diverse group of mammals that dwell partly or entirely in bodies of water. They include the various marine mammals who dwell in oceans, as well as various freshwater species, such as the European otter. The ...
.
She was
launched on 17 June 1836 at
New York Navy Yard, and
commissioned on 6 September 1836. She sailed on 6 October under the command of
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
W. E. McKenney to join the
Brazil Squadron after a short cruise on the coast of Africa. She joined her squadron on 21 February 1837, and was employed in the waters along the Atlantic coast of South America to protect the rights and property of American citizens. She set sail from
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest b ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
on 17 April 1839, and arrived at
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
on 16 May, where she was decommissioned on 25 May.
''Dolphin'' made two cruises off the coast of Africa to suppress the slave trade from 18 December 1839 – 14 July 1840, and again from 5 November 1840 – 25 May 1841. On 7 September, she sailed to join the newly organized
Home Squadron
The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the Atlantic slave trade, make coastal surveys, ...
cruising on the Atlantic coast and 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 ...
. Aside from a repair period at New York from 31 December 1841 – 4 March 1842, she served with the Home Squadron until October 1843.
''Dolphin'' lay at
Norfolk, Virginia until 13 November 1845, when she sailed to join the
African Squadron
The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the Blockade of Africa to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery oper ...
, returning to New York on 5 November 1847. She got underway on 6 May 1848 to join the
East India Squadron
The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...
, protecting American citizens in Asiatic waters. She called at the Island of
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...
in the Indian Ocean for repairs suffered during a gale and arrived at
Whampoa, China in February 1849. ''Dolphin'' cruised in Chinese waters until 22 July 1850, when she sailed for New York by way of the
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
coast and
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...
, arriving on 24 June 1851.
Out of commission at New York until 10 September 1852, ''Dolphin'' put to sea on 30 September on a special cruise to test and perfect discoveries made by Lieutenant
M. F. Maury in his investigation of the winds and currents of the ocean, sailing as far as the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. She arrived at
Hampton Roads on 12 November 1853, then returned to New York where she was placed in ordinary during 1854.
Recommissioned at Norfolk on 23 April 1855, ''Dolphin'' put to sea on 8 May for another African cruise. She arrived on station 16 June and patrolled to suppress the slave trade until 28 June 1857, when she stood out for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, arriving at
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts on 21 July. She went out of commission on 27 July.
Placed back in commission she cruised in the West Indies to intercept
slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially built or converted from the 17th to the 19th century for transporting slaves. Such ships were also known as "Guineamen" because the trade involved human trafficking to and from the Guinea coast ...
s between June and September 1858. On 21 August she captured the slaver ''Echo'' with 318 Africans on board and sent her into
Charleston, South Carolina. Those thus saved from slavery were later sent back to Africa.
''Dolphin'' sailed from Boston on 16 October 1858 for duty on the
Brazil Station, taking part in the
Paraguay expedition to
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
to obtain redress for the unprovoked firing upon the American ship and to settle diplomatic difficulties from December 1858 – February 1859. ''Dolphin'' returned to Norfolk on 22 December 1860 and was laid up at the Navy Yard. She was burned there on 21 April 1861 by Union forces to prevent her falling into
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
hands.
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolphin (1836)
Brigs of the United States Navy
Ships of the Union Navy
Ships built in Brooklyn
1836 ships
Shipwrecks of the American Civil War
Shipwrecks of the Virginia coast
Ship fires
Maritime incidents in April 1861