Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Saco (I)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Kansas Class Gunboat:
  • Laid down, date unknown, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.
  • Launched, 28 August 1863
  • Commissioned USS Saco, at Boston Navy Yard, 11 July 1864, LCDR. John G. Walker in command
  • During the Civil War USS Saco cruised the Atlantic coast in search of Confederate raiders and blockade runners
  • Decommissioned, 27 January 1865, at Washington Navy Yard, for engine repairs
  • Recommissioned, 10 June 1866, for operations along the Atlantic coast, in the Caribbean, and in the Gulf of Mexico and as a training ship at the Naval Academy
  • Decommissioning, 17 December 1868, at Norfolk VA.
  • Recommissioned, 22 July 1870, for overseas service in European and Asiatic waters
  • Decommissioned, 13 July 1876, at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register and sold, to William E. Mighell, 20 November 1883
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown
    Specifications:
    Displacement 593 t.(lt) 836 t.(fl)
    Length 179' 2"
    Beam 29' 8"
    Draft 11' 6"
    Speed 9.5 kts
    Complement 154
    Armament
    As Built
     one150-pdr muzzle loading rifle
     two 9" smoothbores
     one 30-pdr muzzle loading rifle
     two 20-pdr muzzle loading rifles
     July 1864
     one 100-pdr muzzle loading rifle
     one 30-pdr muzzle loading rifle
     six 30-pdr smoothbores
     one 24-pdr howitzer
     one 12-pdr muzzle loading rifle
     one 12-pdr muzzle smoothbore
    Propulsion
    two Corliss Steam Engine Co., Providence, R.I. horizontal vibrating-lever engines (28" x 2'); IHP 327 = 11 kts. Engines designed by John Ericsson
    engines replaced by Isherwood designed back-acting engines in 1865
    single propeller
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Saco 288k USS Saco early in the 1870s after modifications with clipper bow and three masts. She was the only ship of the class with two funnels. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo from "Warships of The Civil War Navies" by Paul H. Silverstone. Robert Hurst
    USS Saco (I)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Walker, John Grimes (Photo as Midshipman)11 July 1864 - 27 January 1865
    03LCDR. Wilson Henry10 June 1865 - 17 December 1868
    05LCDR. Terry, Edward22 July 1870 - 1873
    06LCDR. Mullan, Dennis W.1873 - 13 July 1876
    Courtesy Bill Gonyo
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Old Navy" Steam and Sail Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 20 February 2015