.jpg) Officers and crew posing aboard USS Arctic, ca. July–August 1898
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | City Ice Boat No. 3 |
| Owner | City of Philadelphia |
| Builder | Wood, Dialogue & Co. (Camden, New Jersey) |
| Launched | 5 November 1873 |
| Completed | 1873 |
| Acquired | (By US Navy): 5 May 1898 |
| Commissioned | (USN): 9 July—23 August 1898 |
| In service | February 1874 |
| Out of service | 5 February 1905 |
| Renamed |
|
| Fate | Sunk in collision with underwater obstruction, 5 February 1905 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Sidewheel steamboat |
| Displacement | 1,537 tons |
| Length | 201 ft 6 in (61.4 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft 5 in (10.2 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) |
| Propulsion | 500 nhp horizontal direct-acting steam engine; |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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City Ice Boat No. 3, commonly known as Ice Boat No. 3 or just No. 3, was a municipal sidewheel icebreaker built in 1873 to assist in keeping Philadelphia's waterways free of ice during the winter months. The vessel was also used for occasional excursions and other duties through the rest of the year.
During the Spanish–American War, Ice Boat No. 3 was briefly commissioned into the U.S. Navy as the coastal patrol vessel USS Arctic, before returning to her normal duties under her original name. Ice Boat No. 3 was sunk in a collision with an underwater obstruction in February 1905.