USS Worcester was a Contoocook-class bark-rigged screw steam sloop-of-war in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

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Built as Manitou of unseasoned white oak

White oak

Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...

 timbers, she was laid down in 1863 at Boston, Massachusetts, by the Boston Navy Yard

Boston Navy Yard

The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...

 and launched on 25 August 1866. Renamed Worcester on 15 May 1869, she was apparently placed in commission on 27 February 1871, Commander William D. Whiting in command. Among the ship's officers at the time of her commissioning was the naval strategist and author, Lieutenant Commander Alfred T. Mahan.

Voyage to England, 1871

After an abbreviated fitting out, Worcester loaded a cargo of supplies to be delivered to the suffering victims of the Franco-Prussian War

Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...

. Although she had never conducted sea trials, she departed Boston on 5 March 1871 with a heavy cargo in her holds. Heavy weather sprang up soon after she left port, and Commander Whiting was obliged to use caution in using the ship's spread of canvas until he felt sure of the ship's sea-keeping qualities. Three days out, on 8 March, the port forward boiler burst, sending clouds of steam into the forward part of the ship and severely scalding 10 men — four of whom later died. A subsequent court finding revealed that the explosion had been due to defective tubes.

For most of the remainder of the voyage, the ship weathered heavy gale

Gale

A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...

s that lasted from two to three days at a stretch. But for the explosion, the ship performed well on her maiden voyage and carried a good spread of canvas for the remainder of the trip to England. Making port at Plymouth, England, on 4 April, Worcester eventually discharged her cargo at London. The plan to sell the cargo to raise money to purchase relief supplies for the French fell through. It seemed that the French really did not need help after all, and those who did could not afford to pay the cost of transporting the supplies from the French coast to their districts.

Worcester concluded her business at London, sailed to Liverpool where she received on board some ordnance before returning to Boston. There, she remained until January 1872.

North Atlantic Squadron, 1872–1875

Made flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of the North Atlantic Squadron

North Atlantic Squadron

The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic Squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North Atlantic Fleet. On Jan...

 under Rear Admiral S. P. Lee, Worcester served in that capacity until 1875.

In ordinary, 1876–1881

She was placed in ordinary

In ordinary

In ordinary as a phrase has two technical meanings recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary:# In relation particularly to the staff of the British royal household, and more generally to those employed by the Crown, it is used as a suffix showing that the appointment is to the regular staff, for...

 in 1876 and laid up at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, the following year. Made receiving ship at Norfolk in 1878, with Capt. Walter W. Queen in command, Worcester was laid up at the Norfolk Navy Yard during 1879 and 1880. Eventually, the ship's hull rotted, and it was found unfit for repair in 1881. On 27 September 1883, the sloop-of-war was sold and was presumably broken up soon thereafter.