USS General Taylor
| History | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name: | USS General Taylor |
| Namesake: | U.S. General Zachary Taylor |
| Completed: | 1840? |
| Acquired: |
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| Commissioned: | 1842–1852 |
| Refit: | Rebuilt and re-engined, 1846 |
| Fate: | Not known |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Tugboat/Despatch vessel |
| Tonnage: | 150 tons |
| Length: | 105 ft (32 m) |
| Beam: | 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) |
| Draft: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 8–9 knots; after refit, 8–9.5 knots |
| Armament: | 1849: 1 × 6-pdr cannon |
USS General Taylor was a small sidewheel steamer which served in the U.S. Navy from 1842 to 1852. Prior to her Navy service, she operated as a transport and supply vessel during the Second Seminole War.
Though only an auxiliary ship, General Taylor appears to have had quite a colorful career. After her Seminole War service, she played a cameo role in the notorious trial and sentencing of abolitionist Jonathan Walker. In the mid-1840s, General Taylor's crew included two future Engineers-in-Chief of the Navy. After being burned and rebuilt in 1846, the steamer later played a role in the foiling of a planned 1849 filibuster invasion of Cuba. General Taylor was sold by the Navy in 1852.
General Taylor had a length of 105 feet (32 m), a beam of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m), a draft of 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and a hold depth of 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m).
General Taylor's original builder is not known, but her original engine was supplied by the Allaire Iron Works of New York. The single-cylinder, 98 hp, 23 rpm engine was of the square crosshead type, with a 25.3 inch bore and 6-foot stroke. Steam was supplied by an iron flue boiler at an average working pressure of 20 psi. The paddlewheels were 16 feet in diameter and 4 feet 10 inches wide, with fourteen 1-foot 10-inch width paddles. The vessel had an average speed of 8 and a maximum speed of 9 knots.
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