| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSIno |
| Owner | |
| Builder | Perrine, Patterson & Stack (NY) |
| Launched | 4 Jan 1851 |
| Christened | Ino |
| Acquired | (by Navy): 30 Aug 1861 for $40,000, byJohn M. Forbes & Co. |
| Commissioned | 23 Sep 1861 |
| Decommissioned | 13 Feb 1867 |
| Renamed |
|
 Finland | |
| Renamed | Ellen |
| Notes | Recorded in Barcelona as Finnish barqueEllen ofVasa, under Captain Dahlstrom, in 1886 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Extreme clipper |
| Tonnage | 895 tons OM, 673 tons NM |
| Length | 160 ft 6 in (48.92 m) |
| Beam | 34 ft 11 in (10.64 m) |
| Draught | 17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)[1] |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship, 9491 1/3 square yards of sail area;[2] converted tobarque, sometime after 1867 |
| Speed | 14 knots |
| Complement | 144 |
| Armament | Eight 32-pounder guns[1] |
USSIno was aclipper ship acquired by theUnion Navy during the course of theAmerican Civil War. She was capable of great speed and distance, and was a formidablewarship with powerful guns.
Ino was a clipper ship, purchased atBoston, Massachusetts, 30 August 1861 and commissioned at theBoston Navy Yard 23 September, Lt. J. P. Cressy in command. Unusual speed and large storage space suited her ideally for long-range cruising againstConfederatecommerce raiders.
Her first duty began 27 September when she departedBoston, Massachusetts, in search of "rebel pirates." When word came that the South's famed cruiserCSSSumter, under the brilliant master of seamanship, CaptainRaphael Semmes, was inEuropean waters,Ino sailed from Boston 5 February 1862 and reachedCadiz, Spain, only 13 days and 16 hours later. She assistedUSS Kearsarge andUSS Tuscarora to blockade Semmes atGibraltar where he vainly sought repairs. Semmes finally abandonedSumter there in order to get back into action. An interesting side light to this operation occurred atTangier,Morocco 26 February whenIno took two crewmen ofSumter from a threatening mob and turned the prisoners over to the Boston-bound American merchant shipHarvest Home.
Back in Boston,Ino was ordered toPort Royal, South Carolina, for duty in theSouth Atlantic Blockading Squadron 4 August 1862. On her voyage south she captured the French barkLa Manche attempting to run theCharleston, South Carolina,blockade 23 August.
Six days later she arrived atSt. George, Bermuda, to obtain from the American consul the latest information on blockade running activity in that quarter. She got underway the next day at the behest of the neutrality-conscious governor ofBermuda and made Port Royal 7 September. Only 4 days later she set sail forNew York to be prepared for a cruise in search of her old adversary, Semmes, who was now attacking northern merchantmen with his new raider,CSS Alabama.Ino departed New York 5 November and cruised in the lanes frequented by American merchantmen and whalers, arriving atSt. Helena 5 January 1863. She remained in waters offSt. Helena until setting course for the United States 1 March. She arrived New York 15 April for repairs.
Ino departed New York 29 May 1863 escortingCalifornia-bound clipperAquilla carrying the disassembled parts of monitorComanche. After successfully shepherding her charge to safe waters well below theequator, she searched forCSS Alabama andCSS Florida in waters ranging to the island ofFernando de Noronha, thence to New York, arriving 7 September 1863.
After repairs at New York,Ino joined theNorth Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Disguised as a merchantman to lureCSS Florida into action, she cruised in the NorthAtlantic Ocean 24 October when she arrivedPortland, Maine.
Ino was transferred to theEast Gulf Blockading Squadron 22 November where she served until after the end of the war. She returned to New York 1 August 1865 and remained there under repairs until 16 October when she sailed to serve in theMediterranean and off the coast ofPortugal.
Ino set-course for theUnited States 13 December 1866 and arrived Boston 25 January 1867. She decommissioned there 13 February and was sold at public auction 19 March 1867 to Samuel G. Reed. After the sale, the ship was renamedShooting Star (not to be confused with theBoston-built clipperof the same name).[3]
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This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.