USS Laurel (1862)

History
United States
Ordered: as Erebus
Laid down: date unknown
Launched: 1862
Acquired: 30 August 1862
Commissioned: 19 October 1862
Decommissioned: 12 August 1865
Struck: 1865 (est.)
Fate: sold, 17 August 1865
General characteristics
Displacement: 50 tons
Length: not known
Beam: not known
Draught: 6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 5 knots
Complement: not known
Armament: none

USS Laurel (1862) was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as a tugboat.

Laurel, a screw steamer, was built in 1862 for the Union Army at St. Louis, Missouri, as Erebus. She was transferred from the War Department to the Union Navy 30 August 1862 and renamed Laurel 19 October.

Mississippi River operations

The tug operated on the Mississippi River for the remainder of the Civil War supporting operations of both the Army and Navy which cut the Confederacy in two and deprived southern armies in the East of men, food, and equipment from the rich region west of the Mississippi River.

Post-war decommissioning and civilian career

After the war ended, she assisted in the demobilization of the Mississippi Squadron before decommissioning at Mound City, Illinois., 12 August 1865. She was sold at auction there 5 days later to Sol. A. Silver. Documented as Laurel 2 January 1867, the tug remained in service until abandoned in 1903.

References

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

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.