USS Phlox

USS Phlox was a steamer commissioned by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She served the Union Navy's struggle against the Confederate States of America as a gunboat; and, after the war's end, she served the midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, as a training ship.

History
United States
Ordered	as F. W. Lincoln
Laid down	date unknown
Launched	1864
Acquired	2 August 1864
Commissioned	14 September 1864
Decommissioned	28 July 1865
In service	1865
Out of service	1873
Stricken	1873 (est.)
Homeport	Annapolis, Maryland
Fate	Transferred to the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 1865
General characteristics
Displacement	317 tons
Length	145 ft (44 m)
Beam	24 ft (7.3 m)
Draught	depth of hold 9 ft (2.7 m) draft 6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsion	steam engine side wheel-propelled
Speed	12 knots
Complement	32
Armament	not known

Steamer constructed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1864

Phlox, a wooden side wheel steamer built at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1864 as F. W. Lincoln, was purchased by the Union Navy from McKay & Aldus 2 August 1864; renamed Phlox the same day; and commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 14 September 1864, Act. Ens. Douglas F. O’Brien in command.

Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade

Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Phlox steamed south late in September and operated in the James River helping maintain communications among the Union ships, supporting General Ulysses S. Grant’s operations against Richmond, Virginia.

Supporting the attack on Fort Fisher

In January 1865 she steamed to Wilmington, North Carolina, to support the joint Army–Navy attack on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, which doomed Wilmington.

After Fort Fisher fell, Phlox returned to the James River where she served through the end of the war.

Post-war service with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis

Phlox decommissioning at the Washington Navy Yard 28 July 1865. Later that year Phlox was moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and subsequently served in a non-commissioned status as practice ship for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy until 1873.

References

• American Civil War portal

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.