&sq=&lang=&file=File:USS_Clifton_Fire_Raft.jpg) USS Clifton playing a fire hose on a Confederate fire raft on the lower Mississippi River, 17 April 1862
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Operator | |
| Launched | 1861 |
| Acquired | 1861 |
| Commissioned | 1862 |
| Fate | Burned to prevent capture, 1864 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 892 tons |
| Propulsion | |
USS Clifton was a shallow-draft side-wheel paddle steamer, built in 1861 at Brooklyn, as a civilian ferry. The Union Navy bought her early that December, and commissioned her after having her converted into a gunboat. In 1863 she ran aground, was captured and commissioned into the Texas Marine Department. Her career ended in 1864 when she ran aground and her Confederate crew burned her to prevent her recapture.