USS Chocura (1861)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Chocura was a which saw service with the U.S. Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Chocura was launched 5 October 1861 by Curtis and Tilden, Boston, Massachusetts, and commissioned 15 February 1862, Commander T. H. Patterson in command.
Service history
Departing Boston 17 March 1862 Chocura was forced to put into Baltimore, Maryland for repairs and did not arrive at Fort Monroe, Virginia, until 6 April. She was then assigned the blockade of YorktownBattle of Yorktown (1862)
The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...
and patrol up the York River until 9 November 1862 when she joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron for service off Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. Cruising there until 15 August 1863, she captured two prizes, and assisted in taking another.
After repairs at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Chocura sailed to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, arriving 30 November 1863. Here she joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron for patrols in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, taking six prizes and assisting in capturing two others, and cutting out and destroying a three-masted schooner late in January 1865.
After the war and repairs at Pensacola Navy Yard, Chocura resumed her cruising in the Gulf of Mexico as a part of the newly activated Gulf Squadron 17 October 1866.
She arrived at New York 30 May 1867, was decommissioned there 7 June 1867, and sold 13 July 1867.