USS Dawn (1857)

Dawn in merchant service
History
United States
NameUSS Dawn
Laid downdate unknown
Launched1857
Acquired26 April 1861
Commissioned9 May 1861
Decommissioned17 June 1865
FateSold, 1 November 1865
General characteristics
TypeSteamer
Displacement399 long tons (405 t)
Length154 ft (47 m)
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draft12 ft (3.7 m)
Propulsion
Speedkn (9.2 mph; 15 km/h)
Complement60
Armament2 × 32-pounder guns

The first USS Dawn was a steam-operated vessel acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Dawn — a screw steamer — was built in 1857 by Samuel Sneden, New York City; chartered on 26 April 1861 and purchased on 12 October 1861; outfitted at New York Navy Yard; and commissioned on 9 May 1861, Commander W. Chandler in command.