USS Grosbeak (1865)

History
United States
Ordered	as Fanny
Laid down	date unknown
Launched	date unknown
Acquired	3 February 1865
Commissioned	24 February 1865
Decommissioned	circa 17 August 1865
Stricken	1865 (est.)
Fate	sold, 17 August 1865
General characteristics
Displacement	196 tons
Length	164'
Beam	28’
Draught	depth of hold 4' 6"
Propulsion	steam engine; side wheel-propelled;
Speed	not known
Complement	not known
Armament	two 20-pounder Parrott rifles; two 30-pounder Parrott rifles; one 12-pounder smoothbore;

USS Grosbeak (1865) was a steamship acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

Grosbeak was placed into service as a gunboat and assigned to the Union blockade of ports of the Confederate States of America.

Purchased at Mount City, Illinois, in 1865[]

Grosbeak, renamed from Fanny, was purchased at Mound City, Illinois. 3 February 1865; and commissioned 24 February, Acting Master Thomas Burns in command.

Civil War service[]

Assigned for duty on the Mississippi River[]

After brief duty in Kentucky with the iron-clad monitor squadron stationed there. Grosbeak joined the Mississippi squadron patrolling the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois, to the White River.

Rescuing survivors from the steamboat Sultana[]

When the river steamer Sultana caught fire and exploded off Memphis, Tennessee, 27 April 1865, Grosbeak rescued 60 to 80 survivors and transferred them to hospital. She also transported wounded men from boats further down the river to Memphis, Tennessee, for proper care.

Post-war decommissioning and sale[]

As the war ended, Grosbeak returned to Mound City and was sold there 17 August 1865.

References[]

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