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NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Yankee (I)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal

Sidewheel Steamer:

Built in 1860 as a steam tug at New York City

During the Civil War USS Yankee:

Was chartered in early April 1861 to help provision Fort Sumter at Charleston, S.C.

Assisted in the evacuation of Norfolk Navy Yard, 20 April 1861, towing USS Cumberland to safety

Commissioned USS Yankee in April 1861, Acting Master Charles Germain in command

Served as dispatch and escort vessel on the upper Chesapeake Bay

Assigned to reconnaissance duty lower Chesapeake Bay, eastern shore and James River

Attached to the Potomac Flotilla, 9 July 1861

Captured Confederate schooner Favorite, 18 July 1861

Assisted in the destruction of sloops T.W. Riley and Jane Wright, 29 July 1861

Captured schooner Remittance, 16 August 1861

Assisted in the capture of J. W. Sturges, 27 July 1862

Reassigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in April 1863

On the Rappahannock River captured schooner Cassandra, 11 July 1863

Took schooner Nanjemoy on the Coan River, 15 July 1863

Captured sloop Clara Ann, 1 August 1863, on the Coan River

Participated in raid on railroad facilities at Hamilton's Crossing near Fredericksburg, VA., 7 March 1865

Decommissioned, 16 May 1865, at Washington Navy Yard

Sold at public auction, 15 September 1865, to George B. Collier

Final Disposition, fate unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 328 t.
Length 146'
Beam 25' 7"
Draft 21' 1"
Speed unknown
Complement unknown
Armament

two 32-pdrs
Propulsion steam

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
115k	"Destruction of the United States Navy-Yard at Norfolk, Virginia, by Fire, by the United States Troops, on April 20, 1861" A line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 1861, providing two scenes of the burning of Norfolk Navy Yard and the destruction of ships located there. Ships shown in the lower scene (as identified below the print), from left to right: USS United States (afire); tug *Yankee* with USS Cumberland (underway, leaving the area); USS Merrimack (afire in left center distance); USS Pawnee (underway, leaving the area), and USS Pennsylvania (afire). US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH 59179	US Naval History and Heritage Command
203k	The attack upon the batteries at the entrance of Aquia Creek, Potomac River, by the United States vessels USS Pawnee, USS Yankee, USS Thomas Freeborn, USS Anacostia, and USS Resolute, June 1st, 1861. On May 31st Captain Ward, in command on board of the *Thomas Freeborn, and assisted by two more of his gunboats, the Resolute* and the *Anacostia, began the attack on the Confederate batteries, and after a two hours' fight, succeeded in silencing the batteries at the landing; but, for want of long-range ammunition, could not effectually respond to the heavy fire from the heights, and so had to withdraw. The following day, however, with additional aid from the Pawnee* and *Yankee, the attack was resumed, and the batteries were at last silenced and the Confederates compelled to retreat."— Frank Leslie, 1896. US Navy photo # HN 73736* of an engraving from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 1861.	Tommy Trampp
112k	A Civil War line engravings from Frank Leslie's Illustrated, 1861. The upper engraving depicts the U.S. Potomac Flotilla in the Potomac between Freestone Point, VA., and Indian Head, MD., to prevent the passage of Confederates from Virginia to Maryland. Features seen include (from left to right): Tugboat *Murray; USS Jacob Bell; Indian Head, Maryland; USS Yankee; USS Penguin; USS Satellite; USS Seminole; Confederate battery at Freestone Point; and the mouth of the Occoquan River. The lower engraving depicts a scene in Falls Village, Virginia, which was occupied by Federal troops. It shows Taylor's Tavern and the northern extremity of the town. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo # NH NH 59240*	Robert Hurst
86k	USS Yankee while attached to the Potomac Flotilla scouting off Evansport, VA. in 1861. Sketch by Arthur Lumley August 1861. The sketch appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. Image from the New York City Public Library	Bill Gonyo
350k	USS Yankee at Fredericksburg, 19 May 1864, in support of Union troops. She is moored by a small island in a river inlet off the Rappahannock River on the northern side of the river so as not to draw Confederate cannon fire. Photo from the collections of the Library of Congress	Bill Gonyo

USS Yankee (I)
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	Acting Master Germain, Charles	30 April 1861 - 25 May 1861
02	Acting Master Stuyvesant, Moses S.	31 May 1861 - 2 June 1861
03	LT. Werden, Read	2 June 1861 - 8 August 1861
04	LT. Wyman, Robert H.	8 August 1861 - 9 October 1861
05	LT. Eastman, Thomas Henderson	9 October 1861 - 18 October 1861
06	LT. Gibson, William	1 July 1862 - 16 September 1862
07	Acting Master Ives, Thomas Poynton	16 September 1862 - 24 May 1863
08	Act. Vol. LT. Hooker, Edward	14 March 1864 - 1864
08	Act. Master Rockwell, John E.	1864 - 1865
10	Acting Master Cook, Louis G.	27 February 1865 - 16 May 1865


Courtesy Bill Gonyo

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Report of Bvt. Col. Justin Dimick, Second U.S. Artillery. May 9, 1861 - Exchange of shots between the United States steamer Yankee and The Batteries at Gloucester Point, Va.

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 17 March 2017