USS Martin (1864) was a steamer 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...

. She was used by the Union Navy for various tasks, including those of a torpedo boat

Torpedo boat

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...

, tugboat

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

, and a picket boat, patrolling Confederate

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...

 waterways to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Martin, a screw tug built at Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

, in 1864 was purchased by the Navy as James McMartin at 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...

 16 June 1864; renamed Martin that same day; and commissioned later in the month, Acting Ens. Rudolph S. Sommers in command.

Assigned as a mine-layer boat for the North Atlantic Blockade

Equipped as a torpedo boat

Torpedo boat

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...

, on 20 July Martin was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron for picket guard duty. On 27 July she was taken in tow along with sister tug Hoyt

USS Hoyt (1863)

USS Hoyt was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy for various tasks, including those of a torpedo boat....

 by screw steamer Monticello

USS Monticello (1859)

The first USS Monticello was a wooden screw-steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the home of Thomas Jefferson. She was briefly named Star in May 1861....

 for convoy

Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...

 from Hampton Roads, Virginia at Hatteras Inlet

Hatteras Inlet

Hatteras Inlet is a estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County.- History :...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, arriving 2 days later.

Operations in the North Carolina waterways

Martin operated in the sounds

Sound (geography)

In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....

 of North Carolina, through 1864. On 29 September she accompanied gunboat Valley City

USS Valley City (1859)

USS Valley City was a 190-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy for service in the American Civil War.Valley City was outfitted as a gunship and served blockade duty as well as performing surveillance duty....

 up the Scuppernong River

Scuppernong River (North Carolina)

The Scuppernong River is a blackwater river that flows through Tyrrell County and Washington County, North Carolina into the Albemarle Sound. It is a tributary of the Pasquotank River Basin...

 to head off a group of Confederate conscriptors being chased by two Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 steamers from the vicinity of the Alligator River

Alligator River (North Carolina)

The Alligator River is a small river in eastern North Carolina, USA, separating Dare County with Tyrrell County. It is a tributary of the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The Lindsey C. Warren Bridge of U.S. Route 64 crosses the river.A 21-mile canal...

. With Martin’s assistance as a tug, Valley City was able to position her guns on the stragglers with telling results. Martin later joined in the operations which led to the capture of Plymouth, North Carolina

Plymouth, North Carolina

Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,107 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...

, between 29 October and 1 November.

End-of-war operations and decommissioning and sale

After overhaul at Norfolk Navy Yard in early 1865, Martin returned to the sounds of North Carolina, in late February. She continued tug and picket duties through May before sailing north in June, 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 decommissioning. Martin was sold there 10 August.