 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSPlymouth |
| Laid down | 1867 |
| Launched | 1868 |
| Commissioned | 20 January 1869, asKenosha |
| Decommissioned | 17 May 1879 |
| Renamed | Plymouth, 15 May 1869 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1884 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Screw sloop |
| Tonnage | 2400 |
| Length | 250 ft 6 in (76.35 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Draft | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Speed | 12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Armament |
|
USSPlymouth, a wooden-hulled screwsloop-of-war, was the second ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forPlymouth, Massachusetts.
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Plymouth's keel was laid down asKenosha at theNew York Navy Yard in 1867; completed in 1868; andcommissioned on 20 January 1869 with CaptainWilliam H. Macomb in command.
Kenosha got underway eastward across the Atlantic on 25 February 1869. While on theEuropean Station she was renamedPlymouth on 15 May 1869. Word of the change reached her atVille Franche, on 26 June. She then cruised off theLevant andNorth Africa under her new name, returning toMarseille on 19 November. From southern France, she continued on toPortsmouth, England, whence she accompanied the British turreted battleshipHMS Monarch, carrying the remains ofGeorge Peabody, American merchant, financier and philanthropist, to the United States for burial. Arriving atPortland, Maine, on 25 January 1870, she remained there on ceremonial duty until sailing forPortsmouth, New Hampshire, for refit at the navy yard.
Plymouth departed New York on 12 July 1870 and steamed to theMediterranean Sea where Rear AdmiralCharles Boggs selected her as flagship of the European Station, 21 September. DuringPlymouth's service in the European Station, two sailors and one marine were awarded theMedal of Honor for rescuing others from drowning: Quarter GunnerGeorge Holt and LandsmanPaul Tobin at thePort of Hamburg,Germany, on 3 July 1871 and CorporalJames A. Stewart at Ville Franche, France, on 1 February 1872.[1] The ship sailed for the coast ofAfrica on 17 February 1872, thence headed home via theWest Indies and remained on the Atlantic coast until returning to European waters 1 November 1872. This deployment lasted until the screw sloop sailed for home 6 June 1873. She arrived atNew York City on 18 June, thence proceeded toPortsmouth, New Hampshire, where she decommissioned on 28 June.
Recommissioned 10 October 1874, the sloop operated along the Atlantic coast and in theCaribbean Sea. Under the command ofCaptain Edward Barrett,Plymouth was sent by the Government to attend the closing of the International Expo. Barrett was also the first to test the Eads jetties in the spring of 1877.
In the spring and summer of 1876,Captain Edward Barrett nominated[2] six of her sailors for theMedal of Honor for rescuing or attempting to rescue others from drowning: Captain of the Mizzen TopAlbert Weisbogel at sea on 27 April; SeamanEmile Lejeune atPort Royal, South Carolina, on 6 June; LandsmanWilliam Corey, SeamanCharles Gidding, and Ordinary SeamanThomas Kersey at theBrooklyn Navy Yard on 26 July; and Ordinary SeamanMichael Connolly atHalifax Harbor,Nova Scotia, on 7 August.[1]
On the occasion ofGreat Railroad Strike of 1877, Captain Barrett was called to Washington, where he organized a brigade of naval sailors and marines for the protection of the city and public establishments and held the command of the first aid force until all danger had passed.Plymouth was employed sailing up the Potomac River, with LieutenantBenjamin Tilley.
Plymouth decommissioned again 17 May 1879, and remained in ordinary at Portsmouth until scrapped in 1884.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.