The USS Mackinaw was a 974 ton sidewheel steamer of 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...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Service

The ship was built in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in 1863 and was launched on 22 April 1863.

Commissioned at New York on 23 April 1864 with Commander J. C. Beaumont in command, Mackinaw first served in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron on the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

, starting picket duty in May and remaining on the river for most of 1864. She destroyed the steamer Georgiana McCaw 5 June and supported Union troops on their advance from Dutch Gap, Va., 11 August.
Mackinaw also served in the Wilmington blockade and participated in other attacks throughout 1865.

After being ordered to Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...

, in April 1865, Mackinaw was decommissioned on 11 May 1865. She was recommissioned in January 1866 to serve in the North Atlantic Squadron and in the West Indies.

Mackinaw was decommissioned for its final time in May 1867 and sold at public auction

Public auction

A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in October 1867.

External links

• Photo gallery at Naval historical Center