USS Glaucus was a large steamship acquired by the Union Navy

Union Navy

The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. The Union Navy planned to use her as a gunship

Gunship

The term "gunship" is used in several contexts, all sharing the general idea of a light craft armed with heavy guns.-In Navy:In the Navy, the term originally appeared in the mid-19th century as a less-common synonym for gunboat.-In military aviation:...

 in the blockade of ports of the Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

, but, also found it useful to use her to transport the president of Colombia to Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...

.

On her return to blockade duty, Glaucus experienced a fire and several groundings, but managed to make it through to the end of the war.

Service history

Glaucus, a screw steamer, was in the process of being built by the Van Duesen Brothers in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 for the Neptune Steamship Company when she was purchased on behalf of the U.S. Navy on 17 July 1863 by Rear Admiral F. H. Gregory; and commissioned 18 February 1864, Comdr. C. H. B. Caldwell in command.

Glaucus was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, but before assuming her duties she was chosen to transport Senor Manuel Murillo, newly elected President of Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, to Cartagena. She departed 5 March from New York and arrived Cartagena 16 March.

Returning to Beaufort, North Carolina

Beaufort, North Carolina

Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...

, 3 May 1864, Glaucus took up blockading station off Cape Fear River

Cape Fear River

The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...

. On 28 May, while pursuing a blockade runner

Blockade runner

A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...

 off the Western Bar, Glaucus caught fire and was nearly destroyed. The crew managed to control the flames, however; and she proceeded to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, for repairs, arriving 9 June 1864 and decommissioning 11 June.

Repaired and recommissioned 22 August 1864, she broke down on her way to New York City, and had to again undergo extensive repairs. Sailing to join the West India Convey Fleet, she grounded near Molasses Reef in the Bahamas, and had to be towed 30 May 1865.

She was decommissioned 6 June and sold 12 June 1865 to John Henderson. Renamed Worchester, she had an active merchant career before being scrapped at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1894.

External links

• USS Glaucus

Category:Ships of the Union Navy