USS Morse (1861)
| History | |
|---|---|
  United States
|
|
| Name: | USS Morse |
| Builder: | Roosevelt & Joyce |
| Christened: | Marion |
| Completed: | 1859 |
| Acquired: | 7 November 1861 |
| Commissioned: | 9 November 1861 |
| Decommissioned: | 21 May 1865 |
| Renamed: | USS Morse (1861) |
| Fate: | Sold, 20 July 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 514 tons |
| Length: | 143 ft (44 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draught: | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 × 500 hp, 38-in bore × 9 ft stroke vertical beam steam engine; side paddlewheels |
| Speed: | 9 to 11 knots |
| Armament: | two 9” guns |
USS Morse was a ferryboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Ferryboats were of great value, since, because of their flat bottom and shallow draft, they could navigate streams and shallow waters that other ships could not.
Morse, originally named Marion, was a sidewheel ferryboat built at New York in 1859 by Roosevelt, Joyce & Co. She was 142 feet 6 inches (43.43 m) in length, with a beam of 33 feet (10 m), draft of 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) and hold depth of 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m). Marion was powered by a 500 hp single-cylinder vertical beam steam engine with 38 inches (0.97 m) bore and 9 feet (2.7 m) stroke, built by the Novelty Iron Works of New York.
Marion was purchased by the Navy on 7 November 1861, renamed Morse, and armed with two 9 in (230 mm) guns. She was commissioned 9 November 1861, Acting Master Peter Hays in command.
Morse arrived at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 20 November 1861 to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She lay off Newport News, Virginia, until 29 December when she steamed across Hampton Roads in an attempt to capture the CSS Sea Bird; Morse’s shelling drove the steamer to the protection of three batteries at Sewell’s Point.
Heated action began for Morse in January 1862 when she joined the Roanoke Island expedition with 16 additional shallow draft gunboats. The expedition departed Hampton Roads 11 January and began bombarding the fortifications 7 February. The campaign resulted in Union capture of the island 8 February, threatening Confederate communications and opening the rear defenses to Norfolk, Virginia.
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