USS Albatross (1882)
United States Fish Commission Steamer Albatross, in the 1890s
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| Name: | USS Albatross |
| Ordered: | 1881 |
| Builder: | Pusey and Jones, Wilmington, Delaware |
| Cost: | US$190,000 |
| Laid down: | March 1882 |
| Launched: | 9 August 1882 |
| Commissioned: | 11 November 1882 |
| Decommissioned: | 29 October 1921 |
| Fate: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Steamer |
| Displacement: | 638 long tons (648 t) |
| Length: | 234 ft (71 m) |
| Beam: | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) |
| Draft: | 16 ft 9 in (5.11 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam engine |
| Speed: | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 110 |
| Armament: |
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The second USS Albatross, often seen as USFC Albatross in scientific literature citations, was an iron-hulled, twin-screw steamer in the United States Navy and reputedly the first research vessel ever built especially for marine research.
Albatross was laid down at Wilmington, Delaware, by Pusey and Jones in March 1882; launched on 19 August 1882, and commissioned on 11 November 1882, with Lt. Zera L. Tanner in command. Tanner, who had superintended the ship's design and construction, would command Albatross, a Navy-manned vessel assigned to the United States Fish Commission, a civilian government agency, for nearly 12 years.
Following trial operations between Wilmington and Washington, D.C. from 30 December 1882 to 13 February 1883, Albatross returned to her builder's yard for engine alterations. While steaming back to Washington, the ship experimented with her dredging equipment, and arrived at the nation's capital on 25 March 1883. She left the Potomac River on 24 April and proceeded to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, which would serve as her base for several months of operations investigating the "migrations of mackerel, menhaden, and other migratory species." During this period, she also made shorter dredging trips out of Woods Hole to the Gulf Stream and the tilefish grounds.
Over the first months of 1884, the steamer operated out of Norfolk, Virginia, and, at the Navy's request, conducted hydrographic work in the Caribbean, carrying out "biological investigations" afloat and ashore. From 12 July to 23 October 1884, she operated principally between Woods Hole and the nation's capital, but also ranged from the Virginia capes to the Gulf of Maine. As she these waters, her embarked scientists observed the movements of surface fish, examined the former tilefish grounds, and studied the "influence of the Gulf Stream on bottom fauna." While underway, she also made dredge hauls and conducted fishing trials. "At (the) service of the Secretary of the Navy" between 26 August and 2 September, Albatross participated in the review of the North Atlantic Squadron.
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