USS Roebuck

History
United States
Launched	1856
Acquired	21 July 1861
Commissioned	8 November 1861
Decommissioned	17 October 1864
Fate	Sold, 20 July 1865
General characteristics
Tonnage	455
Length	135 ft (41 m)
Beam	27 ft (8.2 m)
Depth of hold	14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
Propulsion	sail
Complement	69
Armament	four 32-pounder guns

Last updated September 10, 2022

USS Roebuck was a barque used by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

She was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries. At war's end, she was converted to a storeship before eventually being decommissioned.

Service history

Roebuck, a bark rigged clipper ship built at New York in 1856 by Thomas Collyer, operated as a merchantman and made at least one voyage around Cape Horn to California. She was purchased by the Navy at New York City on 21 July 1861 from Reynolds and Cushman of that city; and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 8 November 1861, Act. Vol. Lt. George A. Trundy in command. Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Roebuck took station off Charleston Bar late in November and continued blockade duty there, interrupted only by occasional brief visits to Port Royal, South Carolina, for supplies or repairs, until returning to New York on 15 July 1862 for repairs. The bark, back in fighting trim and now commanded by Acting Master John Sherrill, departed New York on 30 August to return to blockade duty off the Carolina coast. She reported for duty to Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont upon arriving at Port Royal on 5 September, but 2 days later she sailed for the Gulf of Mexico in compliance with new orders reassigning her to the East Gulf Blockading Squadron.

Reporting to Commodore J. L. Lardiner upon arriving at Key West, Florida, on the 19th, Roebuck was assigned to the blockade off St. Marks, Florida. On this duty, she caught the English schooner, Kate, on 27 December attempting to slip into the St. Marks River, laden with salt, coffee, copperas, and liquors from Havana, Cuba. On 1 February 1863, Roebuck relieved bark USS Ethan Allen on blockade station off St. Andrews Bay, Florida. On 20 March a party from the bark's launch landed to investigate a report that a vessel was loading with cotton up the Bay. The landing party was attacked by a guerrilla band and suffered heavy losses. Two boats from the ship captured the British schooner, Emma Amelia, on 2 May. Between 1 and 3 August, she picked up 10 bales which apparently had been thrown overboard by some blockade runner fleeing from capture. On the 28th, Acting Master Joseph B. Barclay was ordered to St. Andrews Bay to relieve Acting Master Sherrill in command of Roebuck.

Early in October, the bark returned to Key West to prepare for duty off Indian River, Florida. There she seized a small sloop on 13 December. Four days later she captured English schooner Ringdove bringing salt, coffee, tea, and whiskey from the Bahamas. On 11 January 1864, she made a prize of English schooner Suzan; and on the 19th, she caught British schooner Eliza attempting to escape from the Confederate coast laden with cotton. On 26 February, she brought to the British sloop, Two Brothers. British sloop, Nina, surrendered to the bark on the 27th, the same day she burned Nassau schooner, Rebel. On 1 March British schooner Lauretta, was added to Roebuck's prize list. On the 30th, a boat crew from Roebuck took possession of sloop, Last Resort, and, on 10 July, Nassau schooner, Terrapiss, struck her colors to the bark. Late that month, Roebuck, because of weakened rigging, proceeded to Tampa Bay where she acted as a storeship. There, yellow fever broke out among the crew. On 12 September the bark was ordered north to recuperate and she reached Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on the 28th. She decommissioned 17 October and was sold at public auction there to Mr. Bartlett on 20 July 1865.

Related Research Articles

USS Stars and Stripes was a 407-ton steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy and put to use by the Union during the American Civil War.

The first USS Seminole was a steam sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Pursuit was a bark purchased at New York City on 3 September 1861; and was commissioned 17 December 1861, Acting Volunteer Lt. David Cate in command.

USS Rachel Seaman was a wooden schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Morning Light was a sailing ship acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

USS Samuel Rotan was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was outfitted by the Union Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Prior to the war, the US Navy had mostly large, deep draft, oceangoing vessels. The establishment of the Union blockade required small, fast, shallow draft vessels like the Samuel Rotan for littoral operations.

USS Ariel was a captured Confederate schooner acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War. She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

USS Gem of the Sea was a bark acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

USS Rosalie was a captured Confederate sloop acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War.

USS Huntsville was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

USS Restless was a barque acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS William G. Anderson was a barque used by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was assigned by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

USS Fernandina was a bark purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a patrol vessel, operating in Confederate waterways.

USS Bermuda was a large steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a cargo and general transport ship in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways, primarily in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. However, despite being a valuable cargo ship, she proved very adept at capturing blockade runners as her record proves.

USS Tahoma was a Unadilla-class gunboat built by order of the United States Navy for service during the American Civil War.

USS Kittatinny was a schooner originally named Stars and Stripes, which was acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.

The first USS Adirondack was a large and powerful screw-assisted sloop of war with heavy guns, contracted by the Union Navy early in the American Civil War. She was intended for use by the Union Navy as a warship in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways. Her career with the Navy proved to be short, yet active and historically important. USS Adirondack was one of four sister ships which included the Housatonic, Ossipee and Juniata.

USS Gemsbok was a bark acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as a gunboat, but, later in the war, she was also used as a collier and as a storeship.

USS Glasgow was originally a British cross-Channel sidewheel steamer named Eugenie owned by the South Eastern Railway that was built during the early 1860s. She was sold for blockade-running duties in 1863 and was captured by the Union Navy later that year during the American Civil War. Incorporated into the Navy, she was principally used as a dispatch boat and storeship in support of the Union blockade of the ports of the Confederate States of America. Renamed Glasgow in 1864, she sank after striking an obstacle the following year, but was refloated and repaired. The ship was sold back into commercial service in 1869 and was scrapped 20 years later.

The third USS Union was a heavy (1,114-ton) steamer with a powerful 12-inch rifled gun purchased by the United States Navy during the American Civil War.

References

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

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.