USS Peterhoff (1863) was a British 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...

 captured 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 served the Union Navy’s struggle against the Confederate States of America

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...

 as a patrol gunship

Gunship

The term "gunship" is used in several contexts, all sharing the general idea of a light craft armed with heavy guns.-In Navy:In the Navy, the term originally appeared in the mid-19th century as a less-common synonym for gunboat.-In military aviation:...

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Blockade runner Peterhoff captured by USS Vanderbilt

Union side wheel steamer Vanderbilt

USS Vanderbilt (1862)

USS Vanderbilt was heavy steamer obtained by the Union Navy during the second year of the American Civil War.Vanderbilt – with her high speed of 14 knots—was outfitted with a large battery of heavy guns and sent out on the high seas in a futile search for commerce raiders of the Confederate...

 seized blockade-running British steamer Peterhoff off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 25 February 1863. The prize was subsequently condemned by the 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...

 prize court

Prize court

A prize court is a court authorized to consider whether or not a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the terms of the seizing ship's letters of marque and reprisal...

 and purchased by the Union Navy.

Commissioned after dispute of legality of seizure

An international dispute over the legality of the seizure delayed her active service for almost a year. She was finally commissioned in February 1864, Act. Vol. Lt. Thomas Pickering in command.

Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade, but collides and sinks

Peterhoff was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron on the 20th. The steamer departed Hampton Roads, Virginia, on the 28th for 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...

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Stationed off New Inlet, North Carolina, Peterhoff collided with Monticello

USS Monticello (1859)

The first USS Monticello was a wooden screw-steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the home of Thomas Jefferson. She was briefly named Star in May 1861....

 6 March 1864 and sank. The next day Mount Vernon

USS Mount Vernon (1859)

The first USS Mount Vernon was a wooden-screw steamer in the United States Navy.Mount Vernon was built at Brooklyn, New York, in 1859; chartered by the Navy in May 1861 for three months; purchased by the Navy at New York on 12 September 1861; and commissioned at New York, Commander Oliver S...

 destroyed Peterhoff’s hulk to prevent possible salvage by the Confederates.

External links

• USS Peterhoff

Category:Ships of the Union Navy