USS ''Snowdrop'', originally named ''Albert DeGroat'' and occasionally referred to as ''A. DeGroat'' was a screw

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

built in 1863 at

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. ''Albert DeGroat'' was purchased by 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 ...

at New York City on 16 October 1863; renamed ''Snowdrop''; and was fitted out 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 ...

. After service at New York into the spring of 1864, ''Snowdrop'' was assigned to the

North 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 ...

and ordered to

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

on 2 May. She served in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron through the last two years of 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 ...

and apparently operated exclusively in the Hampton Roads area. After peace was restored, she remained at the

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

through the reconstruction years. She was ordered to New York sometime in the second half of 1883 and was broken up at the New York Navy Yard in 1884.

References

Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Buffalo, New York Steamships of the United States Navy Tugs of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States New York (state) in the American Civil War History of Buffalo, New York 1863 ships {{AmericanCivilWar-ship-stub

See also

References