USS Commodore (1863)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Commodore.

The first USS Commodore was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

History
United States
Laid down	date unknown
Launched	1863
Acquired	1863
In service	31 July 1863
Out of service	1865
Stricken	1865 (est.)
Fate	Sold, 12 August 1865
General characteristics
Displacement	80 tons
Length	not known
Beam	not known
Draught	not known
Propulsion	steam engine side wheel-propelled
Speed	not known
Complement	56
Armament	one 20-pounder rifle one 12-pounder rifle one 24-pounder howitzer one 12-pounder howitzer

Civil War service

Commodore, a side wheel steamer, was built at New Orleans, Louisiana, and fitted for service with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron during 1863. On 31 July 1863 Acting Master John R. Hamilton was ordered to her command with instructions to patrol in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The small steamer remained there throughout the war.

Renamed Fort Gaines

She was renamed Fort Gaines on 1 September 1864.

Post-war decommissioning and disposal

Commodore was sold at New Orleans, 12 August 1865 to a private company in Wilmington, NC. She later sank on the shore of the Cape Fear River’s Eagle Island in the Wilmington Harbor not far from the current museum ship USS North Carolina.

Prior to sinking, after decommissioning, the ship was renamed the “waccamaw”, and used as a river ferry.

References

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

See also

• Union Navy