Ordered as New Uncle Sam Acquired November 24, 1862 Out of service April 22, 1865 Launched 1848 Weight 916.5 tons | Laid down date unknown Commissioned December 6, 1862 Struck 1867 (est.) Length 79 m Displacement 818,300 kg | |
 | ||
USS Black Hawk (1848) was a large steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
Contents
- Built as New Uncle Sam at New Albany Indiana in 1848
- Civil War service
- Subsequent patrols and sinking
- References
She was assigned by the Union Navy to gunship duty in the waterways of the rebellious Confederate States of America.
Built as New Uncle Sam at New Albany, Indiana, in 1848
Black Hawk, a side-wheel river steamer, was built in 1848 as Uncle Sam at New Albany, Indiana; purchased by the Navy at Cairo, Illinois, November 24, 1862 as New Uncle Sam; commissioned December 6, 1862, Lieutenant Commander K. R. Breese in command; and renamed Black Hawk December 13, 1862.
Civil War service
During most of her service Black Hawk served as flagship for Rear Admirals David Dixon Porter and Samuel Phillips Lee, successive commanders of the Mississippi Squadron.
She participated in the following operations:
Subsequent patrols and sinking
Thereafter she patrolled in the Mississippi River and its tributaries. On April 22, 1865 she accidentally burned and sank, three miles above Cairo, Illinois. Her wreck was raised and sold at St. Louis, Missouri, in April 1867.