USS Cohasset (1860)
USS Cohasset was a tugboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy for various purposes: as a tugboat, dispatch vessel, escort vessel, and even as a gunboat.
![]() Sketch of USS Cohasset. | |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Name | USS Cohasset |
Laid down | date unknown |
Launched | 1860 |
Acquired | 13 September 1861 |
In service | 26 October 1861 |
Out of service | 1882 |
Stricken | 1892 (est.) |
Homeport | Boston Navy Yard |
Fate | Sold, 9 May 1892 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Tugboat |
Displacement | 100 long tons (100 t) |
Length | 82 ft (25 m) |
Beam | 18 ft 10 in (5.74 m) |
Draft | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) |
Propulsion | Steam engine |
Speed | 8 kn (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) |
Complement | 12 |
Armament | 1 × 20-pounder rifled gun |
Cohasset — a tug originally called E. D. Fogg and later Narragansett — was built in 1860 at Providence, Rhode Island; purchased by the Navy on 13 September 1861; outfitted at New York Navy Yard; delivered at Hampton Roads, Virginia on 26 October 1861; and assigned to duty with the Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
Assigned to the Atlantic Blockade
From 26 October 1861-July 1864, Cohasset sailed in the Norfolk, Virginia, area and in the rivers of Virginia as a picket and dispatch boat, carried mail and supplies, towed coal barges, acted as guard for Minnesota, and shared in the fighting in the York, James, and Nansemond Rivers.
Providing harbor defense
Ordered to Beaufort, North Carolina in July 1864, Cohasset was used for harbor defense and towing until 1 October 1864, when she returned to Norfolk for duty towing coal barges in the James River.
Post-Civil War activity
Cohasset arrived at Boston Navy Yard on 1 June 1865. She served as yard tug there until 1882, when she was transferred to Newport, Rhode Island.
Cohasset was sold on 9 May 1892 at Newport, Rhode Island.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.