| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | date unknown |
| Launched: | 1859 at Boston, Massachusetts |
| Acquired: | 23 August 1861 |
| Commissioned: | 3 October 1861 |
| Decommissioned: | 26 June 1865 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
| Struck: | 1865 (est.) |
| Status: | sold, 20 July 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 556 tons |
| Length: | 153' 6" |
| Beam: | 35' 1" |
| Draught: | 13' |
| Propulsion: | sail |
| Speed: | 12 knots |
| Complement: | 90 |
| Armament: | six 32-pounder guns |
USS Ethan Allen (1859) was a 556-ton bark acquired by the Union Navy during the beginning of the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union blockade of Confederate waterways.
Contents |
Built in Boston in 1859
Ethan Allen, a bark, was built in 1859 at Boston, Massachusetts; purchased by the Navy 23 August 1861; and commissioned 3 October 1861, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant W. B. Eaton in command.
Civil War service
Successfully supporting the blockade in the Gulf of Mexico
During her first wartime cruise, 27 October 1861 to 30 March 1863, Ethan Allen patrolled in the Gulf of Mexico, capturing eight prizes, and destroying extensive salt works along the Florida coast, thus hampering the Confederate war effort and civilian economy.
Reassigned to the New England coast to protect shipping
Ethan Allen returned to Boston for repairs, and between 22 June and 28 October 1863, cruised along the New England coast to protect merchantmen and fishing craft from Southern cruisers.
Reassigned to the South Atlantic Blockade
On 9 November, she sailed from Boston to join the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Port Royal, South Carolina, 26 November. During the following year and a half, she patrolled the Carolina coast, and for several months served as practice ship for junior officers of her squadron.
End-of-war decommissioning and sale
She arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 5 June 1865, and was decommissioned there 26 June 1865, and sold 20 July 1865.
References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
