USS ''Vermont'' was originally intended to be a ship of the line for the

U.S. 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 o ...

when laid down in 1818, but was not commissioned until 1862, when she was too outdated to be used as anything but a stores and

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 ...

Service history

''Vermont'' was one of nine

74-gun The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

warships authorized by

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on 29 April 1816. She was laid down at the

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Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, in September 1818, finished about 1825, and kept on the stocks until finally launched on 15 September 1848 in the interest of both space and fire safety considerations. However, ''Vermont'' was not commissioned at this time. Instead the already aged ship-of-the-line remained

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair o ...

at Boston until the outbreak of the

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in April 1861. By the time Civil War broke out, the cavernous hull of the vessel was badly needed as a store and

at Port Royal,

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and she was commissioned at Boston on 30 January 1862, Commander Augustus S. Baldwin in command. She received orders to sail for Port Royal for duty with Rear Admiral

Samuel F. Du Pont Samuel Francis Du Pont (September 27, 1803 – June 23, 1865) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family. In the Mexican–American War, Du Pont captured San Diego, and was made commander of the Ca ...

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 ...

on 17 February 1862 and left Boston on 24 February 1862 under

tow Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. Th ...

by the steamer '' Kensington''. That evening, a violent northwest

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

Light, Massachusetts. ''Kensington'' let go the tow lines, but ''Vermont'' refused to obey her helm, broached, and had all her sails and most of her boats blown and torn away. The gale raged for 50 hours; and, by the morning of 26 February 1862, ''Vermont'' was drifting eastward with no rudder, her berth deck flooded, and much of the interior of the vessel destroyed. Later on 26 February, ''Vermont'' sighted the schooner ''Flying Mist'', hailed her, put a man on board, and persuaded her captain to return to the

United States East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

and report the helpless condition of the ship to naval authorities. Rescue vessels began to reach the stricken ship on 7 March 1862 and enabled ''Vermont'' to sail into Port Royal under her own power on 12 April 1862. USS Vermont hulk 1898

''Vermont'' remained anchored at Port Royal, where she served the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron as an

ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...

, hospital, receiving, and store ship and drew praise from Rear Admiral Du Pont. On 12 December 1863, she rescued the crew of the American bark ''Alice Provost'', which was wrecked while trying to enter port at Port Royal.Gaines, W. Craig
''Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks''
, Louisiana State University Press, 2008, , p. 141.

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Gideon Welles Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878), nicknamed "Father Neptune", was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Although opposed ...

ordered ''Vermont'' to return to

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for "public service" on 25 July 1864. She left Port Royal on 2 August 1864 and was replaced there by her sister ship-of-the-line . ''Vermont'' remained at the New York Navy Yard in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York, for the next 37 years, serving both as a store and receiving ship. She was condemned and struck from the

Navy list A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...

on 19 December 1901 and was sold at New York on 17 April 1902.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vermont Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Boston Steamships of the United States Navy Ships of the line of the United States Navy Ammunition ships of the United States Navy American Civil War auxiliary ships of the United States Vermont in the American Civil War Hospital ships of the United States Navy Stores ships of the United States Navy 1848 ships Victorian-era ships of the line Maritime incidents in February 1862