Cost 25,000US$ Commissioned 28 January 1862 Length 35 m | Acquired 28 January 1862 Decommissioned 19 April 1871 Weight 216.4 tons | |
Operator United States Revenue Marine Launched 1853 as Lady Le Marchant | ||
The USRC Miami was purchased by the Revenue Cutter Service from Arthur Leary for $25,000 and was formerly the Lady Le Marchant, a 115-foot schooner-rigged steamer with a hull of teak planks over oak frames. After outfitting she was stationed briefly in Washington, D.C. In April, 1862 she transported President Abraham Lincoln and others to Hampton Roads, Virginia soon after the Battle of Hampton Roads between the ironclads CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimac) and the USS Monitor. After a transfer to New York City, she was tasked with escorting the captured Confederate steamer Chesapeake from Halifax, Nova Scotia to New York City on 15 March 1864. The Miami underwent repairs at Newport, Rhode Island after being transferred there in November, 1864. Additional repairs were done during 1867 at Staten Island and then she saw service out of Wilmington, Delaware until being sold to Mason, Hobbs & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for $2,149 on 19 April 1871.