USS Dacotah

History
Union Navy Jack United States
NameUSS Dacotah
Launched23 March 1859 by Norfolk Navy Yard
Commissioned1 May 1860
Decommissionedcirca 26 July 1869
FateSold 30 May 1873 at Mare Island Navy Yard
General characteristics
TypeSloop-of-war
Tonnage996
Draft14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
PropulsionSail, with steam engine backup
Speed11 kn (13 mph; 20 km/h)
Armament
  • 1 × 100-pounder rifle
  • 4 × 32-pounder guns
  • 1 × 10 in (250 mm) gun
  • 1 × 12-pounder rifle
  • 1 × one 12-pounder gun

USS Dacotah – the only United States Navy ship to be so named – was a large (996 long tons (1,012 t)) steam sloop that served the United States Navy in the Atlantic Ocean as well as in the Pacific Ocean. When the American Civil War occurred, Dacotah assumed the role of a gunboat in the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America.

When the war was over, Dacotah – who was named for the American Dakota tribe – resumed her role protecting American interests worldwide by showing her presence in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.