USS ''Flag'' was a screw
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
in the
Union Navy during the
American Civil War.
[USS ''Flag'' at DANFS] She is listed as "3rd rate".
[
]
Service history
''Flag'' was purchased on 26 April 1861 at Philadelphia as ''Phineas Sprague'', converted as a warship at the Washington Navy Yard,[ and renamed and commissioned on 28 May 1861, Lieutenant Commander L. C. Sartori in command.][ When first armed, the ship had six 200-pounder () ]Parrott rifle
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.
Parrott rifle
The gun was invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He was an American soldier and invent ...
s. In 1863 she was re-armed with one 300-pounder (), four 200-pounder, and two 30-pounder () Parrott rifles.[Bauer and Roberts, p. 86] ''Flag'' reported for duty in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron at 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 ...
on 6 June 1861. Aside from periods in the North for repairs, she patrolled the coastal waters of the Carolinas until early 1865. ''Flag'' captured or shared in the capture of many 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.[
On 24 November, she joined and in taking possession of Tybee Island, evacuated previously by the ]Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
s, and two days later drove several southern ships back into Fort Pulaski
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, from which they were attempting to sail. She participated in the capture of Fernandina, Florida
Fernandina Beach is a city in northeastern Florida and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the principal municipalities comp ...
in March 1862, and in the general engagement of the fleet with the forts in Charleston Harbor on 7 April 1863.[ She returned to New York on 16 February 1865, was decommissioned there on 25 February, and sold on 12 July.][
]
See also
* Union Navy
*Battle of Fort Pulaski
The siege of Fort Pulaski (or the Siege and Reduction of Fort Pulaski) concluded with the Battle of Fort Pulaski fought April 10–11, 1862, during the American Civil War. Union forces on Tybee Island and naval operations conducted a 112-day si ...
Citations
References
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*
Ships of the Union Navy
Steamships of the United States Navy
Gunboats of the United States Navy
American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States
1857 ships
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