USS ''Pulaski'', was a side-wheel steamship, in service with 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 ...

. She was named for

Casimir Pulaski Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of the Ślepowron coat of arms (; ''Casimir Pulaski'' ; March 4 or March 6, 1745 Makarewicz, 1998 October 11, 1779) was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called, tog ...

. Named ''Metacomet'' when built for commercial owners in 1854, she served as USS ''Pulaski'' from 1858 to 1863, when she was sold by the Navy. ''Metacomet'' was built 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 ...

. She was chartered by the Navy in 1858 for use in the Paraguay expedition at monthly rate of $3,500, with an option to purchase her for $50,000. During the expedition she was commanded by Lieutenant William H. Macomb. In March 1859 she was deemed unseaworthy and not in a position to be navigated back to the United States. Subsequently purchased and renamed USS ''Pulaski'', she operated in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

n waters from early 1859 until 22 January 1863, when she was decommissioned and sold by auction at Montevideo,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. In the first months of 1865 she was purchased by Paraguay.

Josefina Pla Josefina is a female name, a feminine form of Joseph. It may refer to: *Josefina Passadori, Argentine writer * Josefina Lopez, Chicana playwright * Josefina Pla, Spanish poet, playwright, art critic, painter and journalist *Josefina Ayerza, writer ...

: The British in Paraguay, 1850-1870, The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd., 1976, p. 97 Until about 1870 she operated on the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

as a civilian vessel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulaski Steamships of the United States Navy 1854 ships Monuments and memorials to Casimir Pulaski