The first USS ''Ella'' was a steamer acquired by the

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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 as a picket and patrol vessel, as well as a

dispatch boat Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message w ...

, on

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 ...

waterways.

Construction and design

''Ella'', a wooden-

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sidewheel steamboat, was built in New York in 1859 by Thomas Collyer for the Stamford Line of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

.Lytle, Holdcamper 1975. p. 62. She was in length, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and hold depth of . ''Ella'' was powered by a single-

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steam engine of unknown type, with a

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of and

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

of , built by Henry Esler & Co. of New York.

Service history

Merchant service

''Ella'' made her maiden voyage on 5 July 1859. She thereafter operated in daily service between

New York City 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 ...

and Stamford, departing the latter at 7 am in the mornings and clearing New York at 3 pm the same day.

Naval service

''Ella'' was purchased at

30 July 1862; outfitted at

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

; and commissioned 10 August 1862, Acting Master S. C. Gray in command. ''Ella'' sailed 12 August 1862 for duty with the

Potomac Flotilla The Potomac Flotilla, also called the Potomac Squadron, was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to ...

, and arrived at

Fortress Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

2 days later. She performed her entire service in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

waters as a picket, patrol and dispatch boat, based on the navy yard at

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After a useful career, she returned to her base for the last time 30 July 1865. She was decommissioned there 4 August and sold 15 September 1865.

Later history

Redocumented as a merchant steamer on October 19, 1865, ''Ella'' later history is unknown. She was last documented about 1875.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ella Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in New York City Gunboats of the United States Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Dispatch boats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States