USS FUSCHIA (1863)
Built: New York City
Commissioned: June 16th, 1863
Service: Potomac River Flotilla, 1863-1865
Home Port: Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C.
Dimensions: 98' 3" Length, 21' 9" Beam, 8' Draft
Armor: None
Armament: 1 x 30lb Rifle, 1 x 24lb Howitzer
Engines: Single Screw
Speed: Unknown
Crew: Unknown
Fate: Decommissioned August, 1865
Summary
Laid down as a civilian tug , Fuschia was acquired in June 1863 for the purpose of customs duty and patrol on the inland waterways of disputed territories claimed by the Confederacy in and around Virginia and Maryland. Most of her career was spent interdicting blockade runners and smugglers, as well as performing reconaissance work. Her crew gained a reputation for excellence in use as cutting out parties, with landing detachments scoring a number of successes. Her work was largely ignored by the general public, since the duties involved long, hard, less than glorious activities, but the service was much appreciated by the US Military, and the ship was well regarded.
After the war, Fuschia was briefly laid up and then decomissioned in 1865. She was sold on September 23rd, 1865.