&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Vicksburg_Blockade_Rams_-_Civil_War_1863_-_Switzerland_and_USS_Lancaster_in_the_rear.jpg) USS Lancaster follows her sister ship USS Switzerland past the Vicksburg batteries, 25 March 1863
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Laid down | 1855 at Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Acquired | 1862 |
| Fate | Sunk 25 March 1863 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 257 tons |
| Length | 176 ft (54 m) |
| Armament | none |
USS Lancaster was a sidewheel civilian steamer tow boat built in 1855 at Cincinnati. It was originally named Lancaster Number 3 then Kosciusko. In March through May 1862, she was purchased and converted to a ram by Colonel Charles Ellet Jr. to serve during the American Civil War as part of the United States Ram Fleet and the Mississippi Marine Brigade.