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NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Peterhoff

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal

Iron Sidewheel Steamer:

Built for the Tsar of Russia by C. J. Mare & Co., Blackwall, London, with 140 hp steam engines by J & G. Rennie.

Launched in 1850

During her delivery voyage to Saint Petersburg, Peterhoff was driven ashore on Saaremaa, 1 November 1850.

Refloated in the spring of 1851 and taken to Riga, where temporary repairs were made

Departing in early July, she reached London, 17 July were she was acquired by British interests and fitted out as a cargo ship

SS Peterhoff departed Falmouth, England, 27 January 1863

Boarded and searched by USS Alabama, 20 February 1863, off Saint Thomas in the Danish West Indies

Finding Peterhoff's papers in order Alabama allowed her to continue into the harbor at St. Thomas

Peterhoff departed St. Thomas with papers indicating that she was bound for Matamoros, Mexico

She was again boarded by an American warship, this time by USS Vanderbilt 26 February

Vanderbilt found sufficient justification to seize the ship as a blockade runner when a sailor aboard let slip that the ship was actually bound for Brownsville, TX.

Peterhoff was taken to Key West where she was eventually condemned by the New York court and bought by the Union Navy

Commissioned USS Peterhoff in February 1864, Acting-Volunteer Lieutenant Thomas Pickering in command and assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron

Peterhoff departed Hampton Roads, VA., 28 February 1864 joining the blockade at Wilmington, N.C.

Mistaken as a blockade runner the morning of 6 March 1864 she was rammed and sunk by USS Monticello

The wreck of Peterhoff was rediscovered by divers in 1963 in 30 ft of water off Kure Beach, N.C.

The wreck site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975

Specifications:
Displacement 416 t.
Length 210'
Beam 28'
Draft 15'
Depth of Hold unknown
Speed unknown
Complement unknown

Armament

at least one 30-pdr Parrott rifle

at least three 32-pdr smoothbore cannons

Propulsion

one 140hp reciprocating steam engine

two sidewheels

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
098684402	339k	The Peterhof Palace is a series of palaces and gardens located in Petergof, Saint Petersburg, Russia, laid out on the orders of Peter the Great. These palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles". The palace-ensemble along with the city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Peter began construction of the palace in 1714 and it was completed in 1725. Architects: Jean-Baptiste Le Blond and Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Baroque style.	Tommy Trampp
098684401	27k	Painting of the iron steam yacht *Peterhoff* underway	Robert Hurst
098684403	2.8m	It was a dangerous task and many vessels were lost trying to run the Union blockade of the Cape Fear River, attempting to make their way to the protection of the confederate guns of Fort Fisher. If they were successful, they could travel into the Cape Fear River through New Inlet, toward the city with their goods. Some vessels were instead captured rather than sunk, and these became part of the blockade itself. Such was the case with the iron screw steamer *Peterhoff*.	Tommy Trampp
098684404	128k	Navy divers recover a cannon from the wreck of *Peterhoff*	Tommy Trampp
098684405	485k	32-pound smoothbore cannon in front of the Fort Fisher Visitors Centery	Tommy Trampp

USS Peterhoff
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)

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This page is created by Gary P. Priolo and maintained by Michael Junge

Last Updated 14 April 2023