USS ''Mayflower'' was a screw
tugboat acquired by the
United States Navy at the end of the
American Civil War. She performed a variety of duties, including survey work, along the
New England and
mid-Atlantic coasts of the
United States. On completion of her official duties, she was recommissioned and issued to the
United States Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, for use as a
training ship for
midshipmen
A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...
.
Service history
''Mayflower'' -– the first
U.S. Navy ship to bear that name—was a screw tug built for the Navy in 1866 at
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 40,787. With a total area of just 2.46 s ...
, by
James Tetlow
James is a common English language surname and given name:
* James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambigua ...
. She got underway from the
Boston Navy Yard 16 February 1866 and arrived
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, on 21 February. Laid up in ordinary in the
Norfolk Navy Yard until 1870 she sailed for Annapolis, Maryland, 30 September to prepare for service on the expedition to
Tehuantepec, Mexico, to survey the
isthmus for a possible inter-oceanic canal. The expedition got underway from
Hampton Roads, Virginia
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic O ...
, 14 October and reached
Minatitlan, Mexico, 11 November. After gathering valuable data about the
topography of
Central America during the winter and spring, ''Mayflower'' returned to the
Washington Navy Yard 25 May.
She remained in the
Potomac River until sailing for
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...
, 19 August 1872 for duty as a
dispatch boat. In the years that followed she served at Norfolk, Annapolis, and
Washington, D.C. until she decommissioned 20 October 1874. After repairs at
Camden, New Jersey
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...
, ''Mayflower'' recommissioned 11 May 1876, and two days later got underway for Annapolis for duty as a
training ship at the
United States Naval Academy. Her valuable service teaching the art of
seamanship to the Nation’s future naval leaders continued until ''Mayflower'' was struck from the
Navy list 23 September 1892. ''Mayflower'' was decommissioned and sold to Thomas Butler & Co., of
Boston, Massachusetts, 27 December 1893.
References
External links
Guide to William Frederick Durands' U.S.S. ''Mayflower'' Journal of Practice Cruise, 1879 MS 348held b
Special Collection & ArchivesNimitz Library
at th
United States Naval Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayflower
Tugs of the United States Navy
Steamships of the United States Navy
Dispatch boats of the United States Navy
United States Naval Academy
Training ships of the United States Navy
Ships built in Chelsea, Massachusetts
1866 ships