Laid down date unknown Commissioned 1861 Struck 1865 (est.) Launched 1848 Weight 368.8 tons | Acquired 24 June 1861 Decommissioned 1865 Fate sold, 25 October 1865 Length 34 m Draft 5.5 m | |
USS Charles Phelps (1848) was a ship acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as an auxiliary support vessel, delivering coal to Union steamers blockading Confederate ports.
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Charles Phelps was built in 1848 at New London, Connecticut, as a whaler; purchased at New Bedford, Massachusetts, 24 June 1861; and commissioned later in the year, Acting Master W. F. North in command.
Supporting the steamships of the North Atlantic Blockade
Assigned as a coal supply ship for the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Charles Phelps served in Hampton Roads, Virginia, throughout the Civil War.
Her support of the Squadron's steamers was as critical a contribution to their mission of cutting the Confederacy off from overseas supply as a modern-day oiler's logistic support is to the operations of the fleet.
Post-war decommissioning and sale
Charles Phelps was sold at New York City 25 October 1865.