The fourth USS ''Franklin'' was a United States Navy

screw frigate Steam frigates (including screw frigates) and the smaller steam corvettes, steam sloops, steam gunboats and steam schooners, were steam-powered warships that were not meant to stand in the line of battle. There were some exceptions like for exam ...

. The ship was launched in 1864, partially constructed from parts of the previous . Commissioned in 1867, ''Franklin'', named after Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, served as the

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 ...

of the European Squadron from 1867 to 1868 and from 1869 to 1871. She was decommissioned in 1871. Recommissioned in 1873, she joined the North Atlantic Squadron and served until 1877, when she was decommissioned again, then immediately recommissioned for use as a

receiving ship A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Hulk may be used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, an abandoned wreck or shell, or to refer to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipmen ...

at Norfolk, Virginia. She served in this capacity until 1915, when she was stricken and sold.

Construction and commissioning

''Franklin'' was laid down at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, in 1854, and built in part of materials salvaged from the previous , a

ship-of-the-line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

scrapped in 1852. Prior to her launching, Woodbury Gerrish was commissioned to build a figurehead for her. For a time housed over, ''Franklin'' was launched on 17 September 1864 and commissioned on 3 June 1867 at Boston, Massachusetts.

Service history

On 28 June 1867, ''Franklin'' departed New York City as

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

David Glasgow Farragut, who assumed command of the European Squadron. Relieved by the

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 ...

, she arrived back in New York on 10 November 1868. ''Franklin''s second tour in the European Squadron, beginning on 28 January 1869, was as flagship for

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

William Radford. She served with the

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

until 30 September 1871 when she sailed for the United States. On 13 November 1871 she was decommissioned at Boston. Recommissioned on 15 December 1873, ''Franklin'' operated in the North Atlantic Squadron. On 11 April 1874, she stood out to sea to join the European Squadron as flagship until 14 September 1876. On 9 January 1876, while ''Franklin'' was at

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, Portugal,

Ordinary Seaman __NOTOC__ An ordinary seaman (OS) is a member of the deck department of a ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an able seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount o ...

Edward Maddin Edward Maddin (May 15, 1852 – August 15, 1925) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Biography Born on May 15, 1852, in Newfoundland, Maddin joined the Navy from M ...

and

Seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

John Handran John Handran (1852-1885) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Biography Handran was born on Jun 29, 1852 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, US. Career In December 1873 ...

jumped overboard and rescued a shipmate from drowning, for which they were later awarded the Medal of Honor. In the aftermath of the

Salonika Incident The Salonika Incident was a major diplomatic incident that broke out on 6 May 1876 after a mob murdered the consuls of France and German Empire in the Ottoman city of Salonica, Jules Moulin and Henry Abbott. After a young Orthodox Christian wom ...

in May 1876, the U.S. Ambassador,

Horace Maynard Horace Maynard (August 30, 1814 – May 3, 1882) was an American educator, attorney, politician and diplomat active primarily in the second half of the 19th century. Initially elected to the House of Representatives from Tennessee's 2nd Cong ...

, requested that ''Franklin'' steam to the Aegean Sea to protect U.S. interests and citizens. Later that year, ''Franklin'' transported the corrupt politician William M. "Boss" Tweed — arrested in Spain after escaping from

Ludlow Street Jail The Ludlow Street Jail was New York City's Federal prison, located on Ludlow Street and Broome Street in Manhattan. Some prisoners, such as soldiers, were held there temporarily awaiting extradition to other jurisdictions, but most of the inm ...

in New York City — from Spain to New York City, where she arrived on 23 November 1876. ''Franklin'' was placed out of commission at Norfolk, Virginia, on 2 March 1877 and recommissioned the same day as

for Naval Station Norfolk. On 21 October 1907 her

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

, ''Cutter No. 2'', with a launch lashed to its

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 ...

side, was in a collision with a barge under tow by the tow steamer ''Pioneer'' at Norfolk resulting in the capsizing of the cutter and launch. The cutter sank and one occupant of the launch drowned. ''Franklin'' remained in service as a receiving ship at Norfolk until 14 October 1915, which marked her final decommissioning. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 October 1915 and sold.

Commemoration

Following ''Franklin''′s decommissioning, her figurehead was donated to the U.S. Naval Home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1930. The Naval Home then passed it on in 1938 to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where it is on display.

References

External links

Images of USS ''Franklin''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin (1864) Steam frigates of the United States Navy 1864 ships Ships built in Kittery, Maine Maritime incidents in 1907

Construction and commissioning

Service history

Commemoration

See also

References

External links