| History | |
|---|---|
.svg)  United States | |
| Ordered | asHartford |
| Laid down | date unknown |
| Launched | 1863, inCincinnati, Ohio |
| Acquired | 27 April 1864, at Cincinnati |
| Commissioned | 16 June 1864, atMound City, Illinois |
| Decommissioned | 31 July 1865 at Mount City |
| Stricken | 1865 (est.) |
| Fate | Sold, 17 August 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 176 tons |
| Length | not known |
| Beam | not known |
| Draught | not known |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | not known |
| Complement | not known |
| Armament |
|
USSSibyl was a wooden-hullsteamer outfitted with heavy guns, purchased by theUnion Navy during theAmerican Civil War.
Sibyl was used by the Union Navy primarily as adispatch boat in the blockade of ports and waterways of theConfederate States of America. She carried messages (dispatches) between ships and shore; but, with her heavy guns, she was also prepared to act as agunboat if the need presented itself.
Sibyl—a wooden-hulled, side wheel steamer built atCincinnati, Ohio, asHartford in 1863—was purchased by the Navy at Cincinnati on 27 April 1864; renamedSibyl on 26 May 1864; and commissioned atMound City, Illinois, on 16 June 1864, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Henry H. Gorringe in command.
Sibyl was based atCairo, Illinois, and used as adispatch boat for Rear AdmiralDavid Dixon Porter, the commander of theMississippi Squadron.
Her first cruise began early in July and took her downriver as far asNatchez, Mississippi, delivering messages to Navy ships en route. She continued this type of service through the end of the Civil War, gathering intelligence of Confederate activity as she steamed up and down the river.
She was decommissioned at Mound City on 31 July 1865, was sold atpublic auction there on 17 August 1865 to R. J. Trunstoll, and was redocumented asComet on 28 September 1865. After more than a decade of mercantile service, the ship was abandoned in 1876.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
