USS Lancaster (1858)
USS Lancaster circa 1899
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| History | |
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| Name: | USS Lancaster |
| Laid down: | December 1857 |
| Launched: | 20 October 1858 |
| Commissioned: | 12 May 1859 |
| Decommissioned: | 1 May 1902 |
| Struck: | 31 December 1915 |
| Fate: | Broken up, 1933 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Sloop-of-war |
| Displacement: | 2,362 long tons (2,400 t) |
| Length: | 235 ft 8 in (71.83 m) |
| Beam: | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Draft: | 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam engine |
| Speed: | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 367 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: |
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The first USS Lancaster was a screw sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War through the Spanish–American War.
The first Lancaster was laid down by the Philadelphia Navy Yard in December 1857; launched 20 October 1858; sponsored by Miss Harriet Lane, niece and official hostess of President James Buchanan; and commissioned 12 May 1859, Captain John Rudd in command.
The new screw sloop-of-war departed Delaware Bay on 27 July 1859 for the Pacific, with Jordan Collins at the helm. After rounding Cape Horn she reached Panama Bay on 6 December. Two days later, Flag Officer John B. Montgomery hoisted his flag above Lancaster, and she served as flagship of the Pacific Squadron until 1866, cruising along the coast of South and Central America, Mexico, and California to protect American commerce and the Pacific mail steamers. On 23 February, Rear Admiral Charles H. Bell reported an incident which typified her service during the Civil War: "Such is the present state of affairs at Acapulco, that it is believed by both native and foreign populations that the presence of man-of-war alone prevented an attempt to sack and destroy the town by the Indians in the interior, encouraged by governor, General Alvarez ..." Far from the main theaters of the Civil War, a U.S. naval vessel was carrying out the traditional mission of protecting U.S. interests and keeping the peace.
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