USS Brooklyn (1858)
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USS ''Brooklyn'' was a
sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
authorized by the U.S. Congress and commissioned in 1859. ''Brooklyn'' was active in
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
operations until the start of the American Civil War at which time she became an active participant in the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America. With her one 10-inch gun and twenty 9-inch guns, ''Brooklyn '' was a formidable fighting ship that could deliver damaging broadsides, and served on the Atlantic Ocean coast as well as the
Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...
in intercepting
blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...
s. ''Brooklyn'' also served gallantly attacking Confederate forts and other installations on the Mississippi River. Post-war, ''Brooklyn'' remained active, serving for some years in the European theatre, as well as circumnavigating the globe. She was retired in 1889 and sold in 1890 after having well served her country for over three decades.


Service history


Early career

''Brooklyn'' – the first ship so-named by the U.S. Navy – was the first of five screw sloops of war authorized by the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1857; laid down later that year by the firm of Jacob A. Westervelt and Son; launched in 1858; and commissioned on January 26, 1859, Capt. David G. Farragut in command. On February 5, ''Brooklyn'' got underway for a trial run to Beaufort, South Carolina, where she arrived on the 11th. Following a week's visit to that port, she headed for the West Indies to investigate conditions in
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
where liberal forces had ousted Emperor Soulouque and installed Fabre Geffrard as President. Farragut found that the people of Haiti were delighted to be free of the oppressive rule of the former monarch and with the end of a racial war that had bled their nation. Upon the recommendation of the American consul, Farragut sailed for the
Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...
. After visiting Aspinwall, ''Brooklyn'' set a course for the Mexican coast and reached Veracruz early in April. The legal president of Mexico, Benito Juárez – who had been driven from Mexico City by forces of General Miguel Miramón of the Clerical Party—was making that seaport his temporary capital. The United States, which recognized the Juarez government, had sent former Maryland
Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...
Robert Milligan McLane to Veracruz as the American minister and ordered Farragut to make ''Brooklyn'' available to McLane so that he might keep abreast of developments in the ongoing civil war and assist American consuls who were striving to protect U.S. citizens and property. During part of the time the screw
sloop of war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
lay off Veracruz, McLane resided on board. In July ''Brooklyn'' proceeded to
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
, for coal, provisions, and water, and she reached that port on the 15th. As soon as she finished replenishing, the ship returned to Veracruz, but she was back at Pensacola again by September 7. From there, she sailed for New York and reached 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 ...
on the 26th of that month. With McLane—who had returned to the United States for consultations with the U.S. Secretary of State and the U.S. President—on board, ''Brooklyn'' departed
New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...
on November 8 and headed back toward the Gulf of Mexico. She arrived at Veracruz on the 21st and remained in port while McLane negotiated an agreement with the Juárez Government. After the treaty was signed on December 12, she got underway again and proceeded to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she arrived on the 18th. With her bunkers full once more, she headed down the Mississippi River on Christmas Eve and crossed the gulf to Veracruz. However, in mid- January she reembarked McLane and took him to New Orleans so that he might catch a train for Washington, D.C., where he was needed to explain the treaty he had negotiated with Juárez to doubtful senators. From New Orleans, ''Brooklyn'' proceeded to Pensacola to prepare for a return to Mexican waters. However, before McLane could get back to the Gulf Coast from Washington, orders reached Pensacola sending her north. She stood out to sea on February 19, 1860 and reached New York City on the 27th. Underway again on March 11, she arrived at
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 ...
, the following afternoon and there awaited McLane whom she embarked and delivered back to Veracruz on the 28th. The steamer operated along the Mexican coast through the spring and into the summer carrying McLane to various ports where he conferred with the American consuls. Late in July she left the Mexican coast and returned to Norfolk early in August. There, she received orders to prepare for a voyage carrying members of a scientific expedition to the Gulf of Mexico to find a route across the isthmus of Chiriqui. She sailed on the 13th and reached Chiriqui, Boca del Toro, Panama, on the 24th. But for a run to Aspinwall from September 12 to 17, she remained off the expedition base at Chiriqui until mid-October when she returned to Aspinwall. There on October 20, Capt.
William S. Walker William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...
relieved Farragut in command.


Civil War service


1861

Shortly thereafter, ''Brooklyn'' returned to Hampton Roads, Virginia, and she remained in the Norfolk area through the end of 1860 while enthusiasm for secession swept through the deep South in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency. Early in January 1861, Capt. Walker received orders sending ''Brooklyn'' to
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 ...
, with messages for the steamer ''Star of the West'' which had sailed south to relieve beleaguered Fort Sumter. However, when she reached Charleston Harbor, she found the channel leading into port obstructed and learned that the resupply effort had failed. Consequently, she returned to Hampton Roads. The following month, she received orders for a similar mission which she carried out with great success, relieving Fort Pickens, at Pensacola, Florida. After helping to thwart Confederate attempts to wrest that highly valuable Federal toehold on strategic Florida territory from Union hands, ''Brooklyn'' sailed west along the Gulf of Mexico coast to establish the blockade of the Mississippi Passes. She, , and two gunboats made a number of captures off Pass a l'Outre and Southwest Pass, but so many ships were getting by them that Comdr. Charles Henry Poor – who relieved Capt. Walker as ''Brooklyn's'' commander in April 1861—tried to go upriver to the Head of Passes where traffic might better be throttled. Low water, however, caused her to run aground twice before she abandoned the effort. On June 30, 1861, the Confederate warship CSS ''Sumter'' raced out of Pass a l'Outre while ''Brooklyn'' had left her station in pursuit of another ship. Upon seeing the fleet Southern cruiser, ''Brooklyn'' forsook her first chase and used full sail and maximum steam in an attempt to overtake ''Sumter'' but to no avail, for her quarry soon escaped over the horizon and out of sight. Badly in need of repairs, ''Brooklyn'' sailed north late in the autumn and was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Recommissioned on December 19, 1861, the screw sloop—commanded by Capt. Thomas T. Craven—dropped down the
Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
on the 27th and stood out to sea, bound for the gulf. After stopping at
Key West, Florida 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 Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
, she reached Ship Island, Mississippi, on January 22, 1862. On February 2 she sailed for Pass a l'Outre where, on the 19th, she captured the steamer ''Magnolia'' which was attempting to slip out to sea with 1,200 bales of cotton. Meanwhile, the Navy Department had divided its forces in the gulf into two organizations: the East Gulf Blockading Squadron, commanded by Flag Officer
William W. McKean William Wister McKean (19 September 1800 – 22 April 1865) was an admiral in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was noted for his service in the Union blockade that effectively closed Confederate seaports in the Gulf of Me ...
, and the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, commanded by Flag Officer David G. Farragut who arrived at Ship Island in March. Besides carrying out the blockade, Farragut had been instructed to lead a fleet of warships up the Mississippi River to capture New Orleans, Louisiana. After spending the latter part of March and the first part of April getting his deep-draft ocean-going vessels over the bar and into the river, Farragut moved his fleet up the Mississippi to a position just out of range of the guns that guarded the river at Confederate Forts Jackson and St. Philip.


1862

Attached to Farragut's force was a flotilla of small sailing vessels each of which carried a 13-inch mortar. In mid-April these little warships—mostly schooners—began a bombardment of the Southern forts and continued the attack until the early hours of April 24 when they increased the tempo of their firing to their maximum rate while Farragut's deep-draft men-of-war got underway for a dash past the Southern guns. ''Brooklyn'' was
... struck several times before she could bring her guns to bear. As soon as that could be accomplished we opened fire upon Fort Jackson and also upon Fort St. Philip, fighting both batteries at intervals. We were fouled by one of our gunboats, but received no damage. The ram ''Manassas'' attempted to sink us by running into us, but did us little injury. A
fire raft A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy s ...
came down the river upon us, but we succeeded in crossing it without injury. We came near getting foul of some hulks and rafts of logs, which kept us under fire longer than we otherwise should have been.
Eight men from ''Brooklyn'' were killed in the action and 21 wounded before she reached comparative safety beyond the range of the Rebel artillery. Later that day, after making needed repairs, Farragut's warships resumed their movement upriver and reached New Orleans on April 25. When that city had surrendered, ''Brooklyn''—which had been damaged more seriously by her collision with the ram ''Manassas'' than Craven had at first realized—received a patch of heavy planking some 24 feet long over a long tear in her hull. One of ''Brooklyn's'' sailors, Quartermaster
James Buck James Buck (1808 – November 1, 1865) was an American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient and a sailor in the United States Navy. Biography Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Buck joined the Navy in 1852 as an Acting Master's Mate and he was awarded t ...
, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle. Farragut's orders called for him to clear the Mississippi of all Confederate forces afloat and of all defensive works along the river banks while moving up stream until meeting another Union squadron—commanded by Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis – which had begun fighting its way downriver from
Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...
. Hence, early in May after Union Army troops commanded by Major General
Benjamin F. Butler Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is best ...
had arrived in transports and had taken over New Orleans, ''Brooklyn'' and six other warships ascended the river. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and
Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...
, surrendered with no resistance, but Vicksburg, Mississippi, proved to be another matter. The
Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
had so fortified its riverside hills that it could not be taken without the support of a strong land force. Since the Union Army did not have a sufficient number of troops available in the region to accomplish this purpose, Farragut's men-of-war returned to New Orleans. There awaiting him were orders from Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles reiterating the importance of a junction with Davis's force above Vicksburg, Mississippi. Thus the Union warships again reversed course and painfully worked their way upstream to a position just out of range of Vicksburg's guns. This time they had the support of the
Mortar Flotilla 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 ...
which conducted an intense preliminary bombardment of the riverside fortress. At two hours past midnight on June 28, the fleet got underway in two columns and began steaming up stream. Unfortunately, the steamers that had towed the mortar
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
s up stream got in the way of ''Brooklyn'' and two gunboats and prevented their getting upstream past the Vicksburg batteries. As a result they drew much of the Southern fire while Farragut's other ships pushed upstream and out of range. Shortly before dawn, ''Brooklyn'' dropped down stream to a place of greater safety and remained there to be on hand to support Farragut in any way possible should an opportunity to do so occur before the Flag Officer returned below in mid-July. As the hot summer days passed, more and more illness broke out among the ship's crew and the falling water level in the river made it necessary for the ship to retire downstream toward New Orleans. Meanwhile, on July 2, Capt
Henry H. Bell Henry Haywood Bell (13 April 1808 – 11 January 1868) was an admiral in the United States Navy. In the American Civil War, he took part in the liberation of New Orleans and the lower Mississippi. Later he was sent to the Far East to command the Ea ...
relieved Capt. Craven in command of ''Brooklyn''. On August 6, the screw sloop engaged Confederate batteries at Donaldsonville, Louisiana, driving the Southern artillerymen from their guns; and, on the 9th and 10th, she took part in combined operations which partially destroyed that city in reprisal for guerrilla attacks on Union shipping from that town. Soon thereafter, ''Brooklyn'' left the Mississippi and steamed to Pensacola for more permanent repairs to the damage she had suffered while fighting her way past Forts Jackson and St. Philip and colliding with Manassas. On October 6, orders sent the ship to blockade duty off Mobile Bay, and she spent the rest of 1862 in that vicinity alert for blockade runners and the appearance of Confederate cruisers which might threaten Union gunboats guarding the coast.


1863

Early in January 1863, when word reached Farragut that a surprise Southern attack against Union warships at
Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...
, had recaptured that port and broken the blockade there, he placed Bell in charge of the small force sent to reestablish Union control. Shoal water prevented ''Brooklyn'' from participating in a bombardment of Confederate gun positions in Galveston harbor on January 10; and on the night of the 11th, CSS ''Alabama'' sank ''Brooklyn's'' most formidable consort the sidewheel steamer , in a fierce but rapid engagement some 30 miles off Galveston. This setback prompted Bell to give up his plan to retake that port pending the arrival of powerful shallow draft reinforcements. ''Brooklyn'' did continue to blockade the Texas city into the summer. On 25 May, Bell " ... left Commander
James Robert Madison Mullany James Robert Madison Mullany (26 October 1818 – 17 September 1887) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served during the American Civil War. Biography Mullany was the son of Colonel James R. Mullany and Maria Burger. Colonel Mullan ...
in the in charge of the blockade of Galveston ... and proceeded down the coast of Texas as far as the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...
, to ascertain the amount of interior coast trade and its exit...On the morning of the 27th, ''Brooklyn'' captured the 17-ton, cotton-laden sloop, ''Blazer'', which was heading for Matamoros, Mexico. The next day, boats from ''Brooklyn'' took the small sloop ''Kate''. Three days later, she anchored off the bar outside Brazos Santiago, Texas", and sent " ... an expedition of four boats and 87 men ... to capture vessels there …" As the Union boats approached Point Isabel, the Southerners " ... set fire to a large schooner." They brought out the 100-ton schooner Star and a fishing scow. At Point Isabel, they captured the 100-ton, British sloop ''Victoria'' of Jamaica but ran that vessel aground while attempting to get out to sea and so burned her. After the landing parties had returned to the ship, ''Brooklyn'' returned to Galveston. Late in July she returned to New Orleans where, on August 2, Lt. Comdr.
Chester Hatfield Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
relieved Bell in command to free the commodore to take temporary command of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron while Farragut returned home in for a well-earned leave. On the 10th, Capt. George F. Emmons relieved Hatfield and sailed ''Brooklyn'' north on the 13th to receive badly needed repairs. She emerged from the Southwest Pass the next day; touched at Port Royal, South Carolina, on the 21st, at Charleston, South Carolina, on the 22d, and reached the New York Navy Yard on the 25th.


Battle of Mobile Bay

Recommissioned on April 14, 1864, ''Brooklyn'' put to sea on 10 May under the command of Capt.
James Alden, Jr. James Alden Jr. (March 31, 1810 – February 6, 1877) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. In the Mexican–American War he participated in the captures of Veracruz, Tuxpan, and Tabasco. Fighting on the Union side in the Civil War, he took ...
and rejoined her squadron off Mobile Bay on the last day of the month. There Farragut—who had resumed command—was eager to capture that strategic port, but was held up by the perennial lack of available Union Army troops—needed for the projected combined operation. He was also awaiting the arrival of monitors to strengthen the squadron for the forthcoming battle. ''Brooklyn'' helped to blockade Mobile Bay while Farragut waited for deficiencies to be corrected. Finally, late in July she and her squadron mates received orders to make ready for the long awaited attack. On the morning of August 5, Farragut took his squadron of 18 ships, including four monitors, against the heavy Confederate defenses of Mobile Bay. Soon after 6 am, the Union ships crossed the bar and moved into the bay. The four monitors formed a column to
starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
of the wooden ships in order to take most of the fire from Fort Morgan, which they had to pass at close range. ''Brooklyn'' led the second column, consisting of the seven smaller wooden ships lashed to the port side of the larger wooden screw steamers, as in the passage of Fort Hudson. Shortly before 7 o'clock, ''Tecumseh'' opened fire on Fort Morgan, and the action quickly became general. As the 4-ship Confederate squadron engaged the attackers, a terrific explosion rocked the Union monitor . She careened violently and went down in seconds, the victim of one of the much-feared torpedoes (Naval mine) laid by the Confederates for harbor defense. Alden, in ''Brooklyn'', was to ''Tecumseh's'' port when the disaster occurred; the heavy steamer stopped and began backing to clear "a row of suspecious looking buoys" directly under ''Brooklyn's'' bow. The entire line of wooden vessels was drifting into confusion immediately under the guns of Fort Morgan. Farragut, lashed in the rigging to observe the action over the smoke billowing from the guns, acted promptly and resolutely. The only course was the boldest—through the torpedo field. "Damn the torpedoes", he ordered "full speed ahead." His
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 ...
''Hartford'' swept past ''Brooklyn'' into the rows of torpedoes; the fleet followed. The Union force steamed into the bay. In the ensuing battle, the ironclad CSS ''Tennessee'' attempted in vain to ram ''Brooklyn''. The Union fleet dispatched three of the Confederate ships, leaving ''Tennessee'' as the only defender. The lone ironclad then engaged the entire Union fleet. After a fierce battle lasting more than an hour, ''Tennessee'' was forced to surrender, resulting in a Union victory. During the battle that lasted a bit more than three hours, ''Brooklyn'' suffered 54 casualties, 11 killed and 43 wounded, while firing 183 projectiles. Twenty-three of ''Brooklyns sailors and marines were awarded the Medal of Honor for their part in the battle. Their names were: * Ship's Cook
William Blagheen William Blagheen (born c. 1832, date of death unknown), also known as William Blagden, was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Batt ...
* Captain of the Forecastle
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
* Landsman William H. Brown * Coxswain John Laver Mather Cooper * Ordinary Seaman
Samuel W. Davis Samuel Walker Davis (January 23, 1846 - May 5, 1914) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Military servic ...
* Sergeant
J. Henry Denig John Henry Denig (September 8, 1838 – December 10, 1876) was a United States Marine Corps sergeant serving aboard the during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay. Denig ...
(USMC) * Boatswain's Mate
Richard Dennis Richard J. Dennis, a commodities speculator once known as the "Prince of the Pit," was born in Chicago, in January, 1949. In the early 1970s, he borrowed $1,600 and reportedly made $350 million in about six years. When a futures trading fund und ...
* Coxswain William Halstead * Sergeant Michael Hudson (USMC) * Seaman Joseph Irlam * Coxswain John Irving * Seaman
Nicholas Irwin Nicholas Irwin (c. 1833 – April 19, 1896) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Born in about 1833 in Denmar ...
* Quartermaster
Barnett Kenna Barnett Kenna (1827 – May 28, 1890) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Kenna was born in 1827 in Canterbu ...
* Boy
James Machon James Machon (born c. 1848) was a cabin boy in the United States Navy and a Medal of Honor recipient for his role in the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: Boy, U.S. Navy. Born: 1848, Engla ...
* Captain of the Top Alexander Mack * Coal Heaver William Madden * Engineer's Cook
James Mifflin James Mifflin (c. 1839–?) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War. Mifflin enlisted in the Navy from his home state of Virginia in ...
* Quartermaster William Nichols * Corporal Miles M. Oviatt (USMC) * Coxswain Edward Price * Corporal
Willard M. Smith Willard Moon Smith (1840-March 26, 1918) was a sergeant serving in the United States Marine Corps during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Biography Smith was born in 1840 in A ...
(USMC) * Coal Heaver
James E. Sterling James E. Sterling (born 1838, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Biography Born ...
* Quartermaster
Samuel Todd Samuel Todd (born c. 1815, date of death unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Background Born in a ...


Attack on Fort Fisher

After spending the next few weeks helping reduce the Confederate land works guarding the entrance, ''Brooklyn'' departed Mobile Bay on September 6 and headed for Hampton Roads for service in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Soon thereafter, Rear Admiral
David Dixon Porter David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank o ...
began to concentrate his warships for a joint Army-Navy operation against
Fort Fisher, North Carolina Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River' ...
. The fort guarded the approaches to Wilmington, North Carolina, the last major Confederate port still open for blockade runners. ''Brooklyn'' took part in the attack against that Southern stronghold which began with a bombardment on Christmas Eve. She helped to cover the landing of troops the next day, but the whole effort was brought to naught later that day when the Union Army commanding officer, Major General Benjamin F. Butler, decided that his forces could not carry the Confederate works and ordered his soldiers to re-embark. Porter strongly disagreed with this decision in dispatches to Washington. General Ulysses S. Grant responded by placing a new commander over a larger Army force earmarked for another attempt to take Fort Fisher. ''Brooklyn'' was in the task force that arrived off Fort Fisher on January 13, 1865, and her guns supported the attack until the fort surrendered on the 15th. Since this victory completed the last major task of the Union Navy during the Civil War, ''Brooklyn'' sailed north and was decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on January 31, 1865.


Prizes


Post-war service

Laid up under repairs for the remaining months of the conflict, the screw sloop was recommissioned on October 4, 1865, Comdr.
Thomas H. Patterson Thomas Harmon Patterson (May 10, 1820 – April 9, 1889) was a Rear admiral (United States), rear admiral in the United States Navy. Early life Patterson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 10, 1820. He was the second son of Commodore Da ...
in command. She stood out to sea on the 27th and proceeded via the Gulf of Mexico to
Bahia, Brazil Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest by ...
. Following almost two years of service along the Atlantic coast of South America, she returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, late in the summer of 1867 and was decommissioned there on September 11 and placed in ordinary. Recommissioned on August 24, 1870, Capt. John Guest in command, ''Brooklyn'' sailed eastward across the Atlantic and spent almost three years in European waters, primarily in the Mediterranean. After returning home in the summer of 1873, she was decommissioned at New York City. Reactivated on January 20, 1874, the veteran warship operated along the southern coast of the United States until autumn when she entered the Norfolk Navy Yard to be fitted out for service as flagship of the South Atlantic Squadron. She got underway for the coast of Brazil on January 23, 1875 and operated in South American waters protecting American interests until heading home on December 7. Following service in the Home Squadron, she was decommissioned at New York City on July 21, 1876 and laid up. Recommissioned on November 11, 1881, ''Brooklyn'' sailed on December 7 for
Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, Uruguay, and another tour of duty with the South Atlantic Squadron. On February 5, 1882, she departed that port and headed for the
Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...
. During the month, she visited Possession Bay, Gregory Bay, Elizabeth Island, and Sandy Point before departing Possession Bay on March 2, 1882 and returning via Stanley, Falkland Islands, to Montevideo where she arrived late in March. While operating out of that port during the next 18 months, she made two voyages to Santa Cruz, Patagonia, and one to
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, before getting underway on September 28, 1883 for Cape Town, Africa. During her time in African waters, she also visited Tomatave, Madagascar; Zanzibar; the Johanna Islands; Nassi be Island; Mojanga, Madagascar; Mozambique; Mourondava, Nos Veh, and Tuellear Bay, Madagascar, and
Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...
, Africa, before departing Cape Town on March 13, 1884. After proceeding homeward via St. Helena Island, Montevideo, and Rio de Janeiro, she arrived at New York City on October 8, 1884 and was placed out of commission there on the 25th. Following almost a year in ordinary, ''Brooklyn'' was recommissioned on October 15, 1885 and, on November 21, assigned once more to the South Atlantic Squadron and served in South American waters until heading home again on June 9, 1886. At New York, she prepared for duty in the Orient and, on August 12, got underway for the Far East. After crossing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, she transited the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
and traversed the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to East Asian waters. On April 4, 1887, Rear Admiral Chandler transferred his flag to her as commander of the Asiatic Squadron, and she showed the flag in ports of the western Pacific Ocean until turning homeward for the last time on August 9, 1888. She returned to the United States via Honolulu; Cape Horn; and St. Thomas. ''Brooklyn'' completed her first circumnavigation of the earth upon her arrival at New York on April 24, 1889 and simultaneously ended her active naval career. She was decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on May 14, 1889, and her name was struck from the Navy List on January 6, 1890. She was sold by
public auction In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
at the Norfolk Navy Yard on March 25, 1891 to E. J. Butler.


See also

* List of circumnavigations


References

* Silverstone, Paul H. ''Warships of the Civil War Navies'' Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1989, .


External links


''The New York Times'', 15 January 1858 (article about the raising of the central frame of the USS ''Brooklyn'')

Log of the U.S. Screw Sloop of War Brooklyn, 1875 MS 291
held b
Special Collection & Archives

Nimitz Library
at th
United States Naval Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooklyn (1858) 1858 ships American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States American Civil War sloops of the United States Circumnavigators of the globe New York (state) in the American Civil War Ships built by Westervelt & MacKay Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey Ships of the Union Navy Sloops of the United States Navy Steamships of the United States Navy