USRC Commodore Perry (1865)

United States Revenue Cutter Commodore Perry (1865) was a 400 long tons (410 t) twin screw steamer built for the United States Revenue Cutter Service for use on the Great Lakes.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see USRC Commodore Perry.

History
United States
Name: USRC Commodore Perry
Namesake: Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
Laid down: 1864
Launched: 1864 at Buffalo, New York[1]
Completed: 1865
Maiden voyage: 1865
Renamed: Periwinkle, 1884
Nickname(s): The Commodore
Fate: Sold in 1884, rebuilt as passenger steamer, sunk 1897.
General characteristics
Type: Twin screw steamer[1]
Displacement: 400 long tons (410 t)[1]
Length: 175 ft (53 m)[1]
Beam: 53 ft (16 m)[1]
Draft: 10.33 ft (3.15 m)[1]
Propulsion:
  • 2 x steam boiler (Whittaker patent)
  • 2 x 13 ft (4.0 m) diameter propellers, one on each side, considerably aft of midships[1]
Speed: 17.3 kn (19.9 mph; 32.0 km/h)[1]
Armament: 2 × 24-pounder Dahlgren guns, 2 × 24-pounder Parrott rifles[1]

Service history

The Commodore Perry, often referred to as the Commodore, was a wooden-hulled, twin screw steamer. She was constructed in Buffalo, New York by Harry Whittacker, using his design and boilers he patented. She was laid down in 1864, made her trial voyage in July 1865 and later commissioned under the command of Captain Douglas Ottinger.[1]

The Commodore served her entire 19-year career on the Great Lakes,[2] enforcing tariff and trade laws, preventing smuggling, protecting the collection of Federal Revenue, and aiding mariners in distress.[3] She was replaced in 1884 by a ship of the same name, USRC Commodore Perry.

Fate

In 1884, the Commodore Perry was sold and converted for use as a single screw passenger steamer. Renamed Periwinkle, She served in this capacity until 30 June 1897, when she caught fire and burnt to waters edge.[4]

Service highlights
  • 25 September 1865- Transported former U.S. Ambassador to China Anson Burlingame from Cleveland, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan.[5]
  • 4 November 1867 - Helped rescue crewman of the propeller ship Acme, sunk near Dunkirk, New York.[6]
  • June 1883 - Final voyage for the Revenue Service.[2]
  • 1884 - Sold to H. H. Baker, Buffalo & Lake Erie Excursion Company. Rebuilt as conventional single-screw excursion boat.[4]

References
  1. "The New Revenue Cutter". The Cleveland Leader. Cleveland [Ohio. 27 July 1865. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  2. "Our Local Correspondence". The Wellington Enterprise. Wellington, Ohio. 13 June 1883. p. 3. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  3. Dunkelman, Mark H. (2006). War's relentless hand : twelve tales of Civil War soldiers. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 195. ISBN 9780807131909. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  4. "COMMODORE PERRY; 1864; Naval Vessel; US150329". Great Lakes Maritime Database. University of Michigan Library. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  5. "City News". The Cleveland Leader. Cleveland, Ohio. 25 September 1865. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  6. "Propeller Foundered". Daily Ohio Statesman. Columbus, Ohio. 5 November 1867. p. 3. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
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