USS Guard (1857)
| History | |
|---|---|
  United States
|
|
| Ordered: | as National Guard |
| Laid down: | date unknown |
| Launched: | 1857 in Portland, Connecticut |
| Acquired: | 6 July 1861 |
| Commissioned: | 23 December 1862 |
| Decommissioned: | 10 November 1865 |
| In service: | 13 March 1866 |
| Out of service: | 15 December 1878 |
| Struck: | 1883 (est.) |
| Fate: | sold, 27 September 1883 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,846 tons |
| Length: | 160' |
| Beam: | 38' |
| Draught: | 20' 7' |
| Propulsion: | steam engine |
| Speed: | not known |
| Complement: | 95 |
| Armament: | |
USS Guard (1857) was a large steamship with powerful 8-inch rifled guns, acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
She was placed into service as a storeship and assigned to support the ships blockading the ports of the Confederate States of America. Post-war she was recommissioned several times for various tasks including supporting the American fleet stationed in Europe with supplies and participating in the Darien expedition.
National Guard was built by the S. Gildersleeve & Sons shipyard, Portland, Connecticut, in 1857; purchased 6 July 1861 by the Union Navy, and commissioned 23 December 1862, Acting Master William Lee Hays in command.
From commissioning until she decommissioned in 1865, National Guard served as supply ship for the West India Squadron based at Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. A routine trip to Key West, Florida, for supplies in June 1865 turned into a voyage to Boston, Massachusetts, for quarantine and decommissioning when yellow fever broke out among the crew, leaving National Guard with a sick list of over twenty.
Decommissioned at Boston, Massachusetts, 10 November 1865, Guard recommissioned 13 March 1866, Acting Master Lewis A. Brown in command. She was renamed as Guard on 2 June 1866.
After a trip to Norfolk, Virginia, for supplies and minor repairs, she sailed for Cadiz, Spain, arriving there 16 August. For the next 3 years Guard served as supply ship for the European Fleet, carrying supplies and occasional passengers to such diverse ports as Lisbon, Portugal; Cartagena, Spain; Majorca, Spain; Palermo, Italy; Gibraltar, Naples, Italy; Madeira, Spain; and Villa Franca, France.
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Wikipedia