USS Queen

USS Queen was a steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as a supply ship.

History
United States
Name	USS Queen
Launched	1860
Completed	1861
Acquired	29 September 1863
Commissioned	15 August 1863
Decommissioned	21 June 1865
Maiden voyage	28 January 1861
Stricken	1865 (est.)
Captured	by Union Navy forces 21 June 1863
Fate	Sold, 16 October 1865
General characteristics
Displacement	630 tons
Length	168 ft 8 in (51.41 m)
Beam	28 ft 4 in (8.64 m)
Draft	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Depth of hold	13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion	steam engine screw-propelled
Speed	not known
Complement	83
Armament	three 32-pounder guns one 12-pounder rifled gun

Capture of a British steamer, conversion to Union Navy supply ship

On 21 June 1863, Union side wheel steamer USS Santiago de Cuba captured blockade running British steamer Victory off Palmetto Point, Eleuthera Island after a long chase. The prize had slipped out of Wilmington, North Carolina, laden with cotton, tobacco and turpentine and was sent to Boston, Massachusetts, where she was condemned by the Boston Prize Court. Renamed Queen 1 August 1863, she was purchased by the Navy 29 September 1863, and commissioned 15 August 1863, Acting Master Robert Tarr in command.

Supporting the Union Navy ships and bases of the Gulf Coast blockade

Fitted out as a transport and supply ship, Queen departed Boston 4 December for New Orleans, Louisiana, where she arrived 9 January 1864. For the remainder of the war, she operated between northern ports and the gulf, stopping frequently en route to serve Union ships and bases along the Confederate coast.

End-of-war decommissioning and sale

After the war ended, Queen decommissioned at New York Navy Yard 21 June 1865 and was sold at New York City 16 October 1865 to Smith and Dunning.

See also

• Union Blockade

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.