USS Gem of the Sea (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Gem of the Sea (1861) was a bark
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
acquired by the Union 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...
. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Gem of the Sea was purchased at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from Galway & Teller 3 August 1861; and commissioned 15 October, Acting Volunteer Lt. Irvin B. Baxter in command.
Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade
She departed New York 20 October 1861 to serve the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron off the coast of South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. She ran British blockade runner Prince of Wales aground off Georgetown
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
24 December. She captured blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
Fair Play 12 March 1862, schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Dixie 15 April 1862, and schooner Mary Stewart 3 June. Nine days later she took schooner Seabrook off Alligator Creek. On 1 July she took possession of four rice-laden lighters
Lighter (barge)
A lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships. Lighters were traditionally unpowered and were moved and steered using long oars called "sweeps," with their motive power provided by water currents...
up the Waccamaw River
Waccamaw River
The Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1110 square miles in the coastal plain along the eastern border between the two states into the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Returning to Boston, she was reassigned to the East Gulf Blockade
Gem of the Sea returned to the Boston Navy YardBoston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
18 October 1862 for repairs. Ordered to the East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron, she arrived at Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, 18 December 1862 to guard the coast.
A very busy bark, capturing numerous prizes
She captured sloop Ann off Jupiter Inlet 30 December 1862, a small, unidentified schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
12 January 1863, a small boat 28 January, and schooner Charm in the Indian River
Indian River (Florida)
The Indian River is a waterway in Florida, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system which forms the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends southward from the Ponce de Leon inlet in New Smyrna Beach, Florida [Volusia County] southward and across the "Haulover Canal" and along the western shore...
Inlet 23 February. In the same vicinity, she captured sloop Peter, and British blockade runners Maggie Fulton and Inez. British schooner George was taken in the Sanibal River
Sanibel, Florida
Sanibel is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States, on Sanibel Island. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2006 population of 6,066. It is part of the Cape Coral–Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area....
29 July; and sloop Richard fell into her hands in Peace Creek
Peace River (Florida)
The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula, in the U.S.A.. It originates at the juncture of Saddle Creek and Peace Creek northeast of Bartow in Polk County and flows south through Hardee County to Arcadia in DeSoto County and then southwest into the Charlotte...
31 August. In an expedition up the same creek 5 September, she destroyed the buildings and four boats of noted blockade runner Johnson. Thereafter she captured British schooner Director 30 September and sloop Matilda 21 October. From 24 to 30 December 1863, she was part of an expedition up the Myacca River, transporting refugee rangers from Useppa Island
Useppa Island
Useppa Island is a barrier island located in Lee County, Florida. It has been known for luxury resorts since the late 19th century, and it is currently the home of the private Useppa Island Club. On May 21, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, due to its...
to the mainland.
End-of-war activity and decommissioning post-war
Gem of the Sea spent her remaining career patrolling off Charlotte Harbor, FloridaCharlotte Harbor, Florida
Charlotte Harbor is a census-designated place in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,647 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Punta Gorda Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. She joined her tender Rosalie
USS Rosalie (1863)
USS Rosalie was a captured Confederate sloop acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War.She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries...
in capturing steamer Emma off nearby Malco Inlet 11 June 1864. She departed Charlotte Harbor 2 February 1865 and entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard the 22d. She decommissioned 24 February and was sold 6 May 1865 to A. C. Purvis & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.