USS Decatur (1839)

USS Decatur (1839)
USS Decatur
History
United States
Laid downdate unknown
Launched1838
Acquired1839 at New York Navy Yard
Commissionedcirca 16 March 1840
Decommissioned20 June 1859
In serviceMarch 1863
Out of service1865
Stricken1865 (est.)
FateSold, 17 August 1865
General characteristics
Displacement566 tons
Length117 ft (36 m)
Beam32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft
  • depth of hold 15'
  • draft 15' 8"
Propulsionsail
Speed10 knots
Complement150 officers and men
Armament
  • fourteen 32-pounder guns
  • two 12-pounder rifles

USS Decatur was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the mid-19th century. She was commissioned to protect American interests in the South Atlantic Ocean, including the interception of ships involved in the African slave trade. Decatur served in both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.

The sloop-of-war was named in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779–1820), one of the United States Navy's greatest heroes and leaders of the first two decades of the 19th century.