USS ''Gladiolus'' was a steamship acquired by the Union Navy during 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 ...

Service history

''Gladiolus'' was employed as a

tugboat 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, su ...

, a collier, a

dispatch boat Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message w ...

and a picket and

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

in support of the Union blockade of Southern waterways. Once Charleston, South Carolina, had been captured by Union forces, ''Gladiolus'' was employed as a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

and as a

salvage ship A salvage tug, known also historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground. Overview Few tugbo ...

, clearing obstructions in the harbor. ''Gladiolus'', formerly tug ''Sallie Bishop'', was purchased at

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2 June 1864 by Commodore C. K. Stribling. She commissioned 15 June 1864. ''Gladiolus'' departed Philadelphia 17 June 1864 to join Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren's

South 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 was assigned to Charleston station, arriving 25 June. For the next six months she was actively engaged in towing and coaling ships of the squadron, and served as a night picket boat protecting the powerful ironclads from torpedo and boarding attack. During this period she was also assisted in the capture of several blockade runners. After the capture of Charleston in February 1865, ''Gladiolus'' worked in the harbor clearing obstructions and searching for torpedoes (mines). She subsequently served as a dispatch boat for the squadron between

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

ports and

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Cor ...

, until she sailed for

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from Charleston 17 August 1865. She decommissioned at

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30 August 1865, and was sold 15 September to S. M. and J. M. Flanagan. ''Gladiolus'' returned to merchant service under the same name and was lost in 1887.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladiolus Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Tugs of the United States Navy Colliers of the United States Navy Dispatch boats of the United States Navy American Civil War auxiliary ships of the United States Minesweepers of the United States Navy