USS Tempest (1862)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Laid down | date unknown |
| Launched | in 1862 at Louisville, Kentucky |
| Acquired | 30 December 1864 |
| Commissioned | 26 April 1865 |
| Decommissioned |
|
| Stricken | 1865 (est.) |
| Fate | sold, 29 November 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 161 tons |
| Length | 162 ft. |
| Beam | 32.8 ft. |
| Draft | 5.5 ft. |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | not known |
| Complement | not known |
| Armament |
|
USS Tempest (1862) was a 161-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War for service against the Confederate States of America.
Tempest was commissioned as a gunboat at the end of the war and was assigned demobilization operations in western waters of the Confederacy.
Built at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1862[]
Tempest—a wooden-hulled, sidewheel steamer built in 1862 at Louisville, Kentucky—was acquired by the Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio, on 30 December 1864 from Joseph Brown; was converted there to a gunboat by Mr. Brown; and was commissioned on 26 April, Acting Volunteer Lt. Comdr. William G. Saltonstall in command.
[]
Tempest operated with the naval forces in western waters throughout her brief naval career. She served as flagship for Acting Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee, while he directed efforts on the Mississippi River and its tributaries to prevent the escape of the former President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis.
She continued in this role while he oversaw the demobilization of the Mississippi Squadron. Rear Admiral Lee hauled down his flag from her on 14 August.
Post-war decommissioning[]
The ship was decommissioned at Mound City, Illinois, on 30 November 1865, the day after she was sold at public auction there to Robert Cams. Tempest was redocumented on 11 December 1865 and remained in merchant service until 1870.
See also[]
References[]
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- Ships of the Union Navy
- Ships built in Kentucky
- Steamships of the United States Navy
- Gunboats of the United States Navy
- American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States
- 1862 ships