USS Allegheny (1847)
| History | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Name: | USS Allegheny |
| Ordered: | October 1843 |
| Builder: | Stackhouse and Tomlinson |
| Laid down: | 1844 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Launched: | 22 February 1847 |
| Commissioned: | 22 February 1847 |
| Decommissioned: | 1868 (est.) |
| Refit: | 1851-1852 at Gosport Navy Yard |
| Struck: | 1868 (est.) |
| Homeport: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Fate: | sold, 15 May 1869 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Steamer |
| Displacement: | 989 long tons (1,005 t) |
| Length: | 185 ft (56 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) |
| Draft: | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 4.9 kn (5.6 mph; 9.1 km/h) |
| Complement: | 190 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: | Iron-hulled |
USS Allegheny (1847) — the first United States Navy ship to be so named — was a large (989 long tons (1,005 t)) iron-hulled steamer that served as an American gunboat in the South Atlantic Ocean as well as in the European area. When the American Civil War occurred, Allegheny served the Union cause honorably, doing her part by supporting the Union Navy — because of her large size and operational condition — as a receiving ship.
Allegheny was somewhat different from other gunboats of the time as she was propelled by two eight-bladed horizontal wheels invented by Lieutenant William W. Hunter. Eventually this design proved impractical, and Allegheny was rebuilt as a conventional screw steamer.
Allegheny was laid down at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania sometime in 1844 prior to 11 November by Joseph Tomlinson and Company; built under the supervision of Lt. Hunter, launched on 22 February 1847; and commissioned the same day, Lt. Hunter in command.
The naval steamer soon departed Pittsburgh and arrived at Memphis, Tennessee on 1 March. She remained there until her 3 June fitting out, and reached New Orleans, Louisiana on the 12th for more work before sailing for the east coast on 26 August. After her arrival at Norfolk, Virginia on 16 October, her wheels were modified by the removal of every other paddle, leaving each with four.
On 26 February 1848, Allegheny departed Hampton Roads and headed south for service on the Brazil station. She served along the Atlantic Coast of South America until early autumn when the sloop of war St. Louis arrived with orders sending the steamer to the Mediterranean Sea.
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Wikipedia