USS ''Home'' was a large

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

purchased 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 placed into service as a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. ...

assigned to support the fleet blockading the ports 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 ...

. However, on occasion, she was ordered to serve as a blockader and was provided with the necessary deck guns for that purpose.

Service history

''Home'' — a screw steamer — was built as

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

in 1862 at the

Brooklyn 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. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

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 * '' ...

. She was purchased by the Navy at New York on 14 August 1863, commissioned on 21 August 1863,

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

W. H. Garfield commanding, and name changed to ''Home''. Assigned 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 ...

, ''Home'' sailed after commissioning for

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, towing

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...

. ''Home'' was assigned by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren as a rest ship, to which the exhausted crews of the steaming monitors could retire after the fierce bombardments of early September. She remained off Charleston with periodic trips to

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a List of cities and towns in South Carolina, town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Is ...

for repairs until July 1864, when she was assigned to act as a

inside the bar at Charleston. While serving as a combination blockader-hospital ship, her medical department was composed of Surgeons William Nicholas Pindell and Nelson Ingram, and the Surgeon Steward Frank Cook. She continued her combination blockader-hospital ship service until mid-1865, when she took up lightship duties in the harbor. During this period, ''Home'' also sent members of her crew ashore on boat expeditions in the Charleston area, notably on 5 March 1865, when an important

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

of Charleston harbor obstructions was effected. ''Home'' returned to

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 ...

in August 1865 and decommissioned on 24 August 1865. Redocumented ''Key West'', she returned to merchant service; she was stranded and lost off

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. Long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests create a unique environment where wind and waves shape ...

on 12 October 1870.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Home, USS Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Brooklyn Steamships of the United States Navy American Civil War auxiliary ships of the United States Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast 1862 ships Hospital ships of the United States Navy Maritime incidents in October 1870