USS Phlox

USS Phlox was a steamer commissioned by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She served the Union Navy's struggle against the Confederate States of America as a gunboat; and, after the war's end, she served the midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as a training ship.

History
Union Navy Jack United States
Orderedas F. W. Lincoln
Laid downdate unknown
Launched1864
Acquired2 August 1864
Commissioned14 September 1864
Decommissioned28 July 1865
In service1865
Out of service1873
Stricken1873 (est.)
HomeportAnnapolis, Maryland
FateTransferred to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 1865
General characteristics
Displacement317 tons
Length145’
Beam24’
Draught
  • depth of hold 9’
  • draft 6’
Propulsion
Speed12 knots
Complement32
Armamentnot known

Steamer constructed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1864

Phlox, a wooden side wheel steamer built at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1864 as F. W. Lincoln, was purchased by the Union Navy from McKay & Aldus 2 August 1864; renamed Phlox the same day; and commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 14 September 1864, Act. Ens. Douglas F. O’Brien in command.

Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade

Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Phlox steamed south late in September and operated in the James River helping maintain communications among the Union ships, supporting General Ulysses S. Grant’s operations against Richmond, Virginia.

Supporting the attack on Fort Fisher

In January 1865 she steamed to Wilmington, North Carolina, to support the joint Army–Navy attack on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, which doomed Wilmington.

After Fort Fisher fell, Phlox returned to the James River where she served through the end of the war.

Post-war service with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis

Phlox decommissioning at the Washington Navy Yard 28 July 1865. Later that year Phlox was moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and subsequently served in a non-commissioned status as practice ship for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy until 1873.

References

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

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