USS Paw Paw

Last updated
History
US Naval Jack 36 stars.svg US flag 34 stars.svgUnited States
Orderedas Fanny
Acquired9 April 1863
Commissioned25 July 1863
Decommissioned1 July 1865
Fatesold, 17 August 1865
General characteristics
Displacement175 tons
Length120 ft (37 m)
Beam34 ft (10 m)
Draft6 ft (1.8 m)
Depth of hold3 ft 10 in (1.17 m)
Propulsion
Speed4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Armament

USS Paw Paw was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a convoy and patrol vessel on Confederate waterways.

Service history

Fanny, a wooden, center-wheel steamer formerly named St. Charles, was purchased by the Navy at Chicago, Illinois, 9 April 1863 from J. Van Vartwick; arrived Cairo, Illinois, from St. Joseph, Missouri. 13 April 1863 for conversion to a "tinclad" gunboat; renamed Paw Paw 12 May 1863, designated gunboat No. 31 on 19 June 1863; and commissioned 25 July 1863, Acting Master Augustus F. Thompson in command. Paw Paw patrolled the upper Mississippi River protecting Union communication and supply bases from guerrilla attacks. She struck a snag and sank in Walnut Bend 6 August 1863, but was pumped out and raised by steam pump boat Champion No. 5 . [1] After repairs at Cairo, Illinois, she resumed patrol duty. From 10 October to 13 December, she supported General William Tecumseh Sherman's operations on the Tennessee River. In acknowledging the arrival of the gunboats, General Sherman wrote Admiral David Dixon Porter:

Of course we will get along together elegantly. All I have, he (Lt. Comdr. S. L. Phelps, the senior naval officer on the Tennessee River) can command, and I know the same feeling pervades every sailor's and soldier's heart. We are as one.

Sherman's confidence was well founded. The joint effort solidified the Union's position in the South's interior and prepared for Sherman's drive on Atlanta, Georgia, and ultimate thrust to the sea. Through the end of the war, Paw Paw remained active in the Mississippi Squadron maintaining Union control of the vast river system which acted as the nerves and sinews of the South. Paw Paw decommissioned at Mound City, Illinois, 1 July 1865 and was sold at public auction there to Sol. A. Silver 17 August 1865.

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References

  1. ↑ Lost with steam pump boat 'Champion No. 3 April 26, 1864. [Battles and Leaders of the Civil War Vol IV ,p.365

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

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