USS Sonoma (1862)

History
United States
Name	USS Sonoma
Namesake	Sonoma Creek, in northern California; Sonoma County, California; and Sonoma, California, the latter in turned named for a chief of the Chocuyen people
Builder	Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine
Launched	15 April 1862
Commissioned	8 July 1862
Decommissioned	20 June 1863
Recommissioned	28 September 1863
Decommissioned	13 June 1865
Fate	Sold 1 October 1867
General characteristics
Type	Steam gunboat
Displacement	955 long tons (970 t)
Length	233 ft 9 in (71.25 m)
Beam	34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)
Draft	12 ft 3 in (3.73 m)
Propulsion	Steam engine
Armament	1 × 100-pounder Parrott rifle 1 × 11 in (280 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore 6 × 24-pounder howitzers 2 × 12-pounder rifles

The first USS Sonoma was a sidewheel gunboat that served in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for Sonoma Creek in northern California, Sonoma County, California, and the town of Sonoma, California, that in turn were named for one of the chiefs of the Chocuyen Indians of that region.

Sonoma was launched by the Portsmouth Navy Yard at Kittery, Maine, on 15 April 1862; sponsored by Miss Mary N. Bleecker; and commissioned on 8 July 1862, Commander Thomas H. Stevens, Jr. in command.