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USS Nita
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
Civil War Medal
Sidewheel Steamer
Built in 1856 at Mobile, Al. as the wooden sidewheel steamer Nita
Captured while carrying food and medicine from Havana toward Mobile by Union blockading schooner USS De Soto 17 August 1863
Purchased by the Navy from the prize court at Key West
Transferred to the Navy, 10 September 1863,
Commissioned, USS Nita, 8 January 1864, Act. Vol. LT. Robert B. Smith in command
Assigned to the East Gulf Blockading Squadron, Nita patrolled the west coast of Florida for the remainder of the Civil War
On the morning of 24 February, captured steamer Nan-Nan attempting to slip to sea through the east pass of the Suwanee River
Nita gave chase, twice she ran aground in the shallow coastal waters, but forced Nan-Nan to throw her cotton over board in attempting to
escape
The blockade runner then stranded on to the beach where her crew burned her to prevent capture
Boats from Nita took her next prize, schooner Three Brothers, 11 April, at the mouth of the Homosassa River after a chase of three hours
Nita took her final ship on the morning of 24 October when two of her boats boarded abandoned and burning schooner Unknown off
Clearwater Harbor
On 12 November Nita and USS Hendrick Hudson steamed to Tampa Bay on a reconnaissance mission and landed a party
to destroy Confederate salt works near Rocky Point, FL. However, the sailors were driven back by Southern cavalry
On 3 December, Nita and four other Union ships returned and destroyed the salt works
Nita was decommissioned at Key West 3 May 1865 and sold at public auction the same day.
Final Disposition, fate unknown
Specifications:
Displacement 210 t.
Length unknown 146'
Beam unknown 22'4"
Depth of Hull 7'1"
Draft unknown 5'
Speed unknown
Complement 46
Armament
one 12-pdr howitzer
two heavy 12-pdr smoothbores
Propulsion Steam
two sidewheels
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USS Nita
Dictionary of American Naval Fight Ships (DANFS)
This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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Last Updated 8 October 2021