USS Fort Henry

History
United States
NameUSS Fort Henry
NamesakeFort Henry, a fortification on the Tennessee River
Owner
OperatorSee owners
ChristenedFort Henry
Completed1862
Acquired(by USN): 25 March 1862
Commissioned3 April 1862
Decommissioned8 July 1865
Renamed
  • USS Fort Henry (1862)
  • Huntington (1865)
Stricken1865 (est.)
IdentificationOfficial no. 11460
FateDestroyed by fire at Hunter's Point, 22 February 1868
General characteristics
Tonnage552
Displacement519 tons
Length150 ft 6 in (45.87 m)
Beam32 ft (9.8 m)
Draft11 ft 9 in (3.58 m)
PropulsionSteam engine; sidewheels
Armament
  • two 9 in (230 mm) smoothbore guns
  • four 32-pounder guns

USS Fort Henry was a gunboat which saw service with the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Originally designed as a ferryboat, she was purchased by the Navy before entering commercial service and converted into a fighting vessel. During the war, she took part in the naval blockade of the Confederacy and captured a number of blockade runners. After the war, she was sold to a New York ferry company. Renamed Huntington, she operated for about two years as an East River ferry before being destroyed by fire in 1868.