USS ''Tennessee'', originally USS ''Madawaska'', was a

screw frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exam ...

built of wood at the

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 ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, and launched as ''Madawaska'' on 8 July 1865. Powered by two Ericsson vibrating-lever engines, ''Madawaska'' departed New York City for sea trials 14 January 1867,

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Francis A. Roe in command. Remaining at sea for one week, she steamed nearly 1,000

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...

s (1,150 statute miles; 1,852 km) before returning when her supply of coal was exhausted. USS Madawaska (1865)

She was renamed ''Tennessee'' 15 May 1869 and timbered up to the necessary height to allow a

spar deck A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary or upper deck is the horizontal structure that forms the "roof" of the hull, strengthening it and serving as the primary working surface. Ve ...

to be installed. She was fitted with new compound back‑acting engines capable of developing . She carried 380 tons of coal but was also rigged for sail, the area of her 10 principal sails being . Her duties included service as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the Asiatic Squadron under

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

William Reynolds, with Captain William W. Low in command. By 1879 she was

of the North Atlantic Squadron under Rear Admiral Robert W. Wyman, with

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

David B. Harmony David Butts Harmony (September 2, 1832 – November 2, 1917) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served during the American Civil War. Harmony was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and entered the navy as a midshipman on April 7, 1847, ...

in command. On 15 February 1881 at

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Louisiana,

Seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

George Low jumped overboard and rescued a fellow sailor from drowning, for which he was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

. In ''The Steam Navy of the United States'', Frank M. Bennet relates that during the time ''Tennessee'' was flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron she was "the largest vessel then in commission in the American Navy, and the era of mastless steel cruisers was yet so far away that she was not suspected, by the youngsters at least, of being obsolete and stood as the type of all that was excellent and majestic in ship construction." Her spaciousness and the comfort of her quarters as well as her handling characteristics made her a favorite duty station. ''Tennessee'' was sold on 15 September 1886 to Burdett Pond of

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.WP:ALSO: "The links in the "See also" section do not have to be directly related to the topic of the article, because one purpose of "See also" links is to enable readers to explore tangentially related topics." The only way some pages are ever discovered and read is through 'See also'. --> * List of steam frigates of the United States Navy * Bibliography of American Civil War naval history * Union Navy * Confederate States Navy

References

* (USS ''Madawaska'') * (USS ''Tennessee'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Tennessee Ships built in Brooklyn 1865 ships Steamships of the United States Navy