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: Service Ship Photo Archive

USS Bignonia

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Harbor Tug:
  • Built by Ira Lafrinier, Cleveland, OH
  • Completed for H.J. Winslow, et al., Cleveland, OH, as screw wrecking tug Mary Grandy, June 1863
  • Sold to New York interests, May 1864
  • Purchased by Navy from Copeland & Howe at New York for $56,100, 02 August 1864
  • Commissioned USS Bignonia, 14 September 1864
  • Served in North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, September 1864 - April 1865
  • Served in West Gulf Blockading Squadron, April - July 1865
  • Decommissioned at New York Navy Yard, 12 July 1865
  • Sold at public auction to L. Burrows, Stonington, CT, for $15,250, renamed Balize, 12 July 1865
  • Sold to E. Douville, Detroit, MI, et al., July 1867
  • Rebuilt and re-engined at Detroit, August 1867
  • Registered to Thomas Murphy, Detroit, MI, documented as ON 2714, April 1871
  • Rebuilt at Buffalo, NY, with two compound steeple engines, 460hp, 1875
  • Rebuilt at Detroit to haul logs on Lake Huron, June 1881
  • Registered to Detroit Tug & Transit Co., April 1883
  • Registered to John Kelderhouse, Buffalo, NY, April 1886
  • Registered to W.T.M. Charlton, Buffalo, NY, September 1886
  • Registered under British flag to Victoria Harbour Lumber Co., Victoria Harbor, Ontario (C100306), May 1902
  • Registered to John Charlton, Lynedock, Ontario, 1915
  • Dismantled at Midland, Ontario, 1915
  • Remains of hull said to still lie on northwest shore of Midland Bay
    Specifications:
    Hull wood
    Displacement 321.10 long tons
    Length 131' 5" waterline, 140' 0" overall
    Beam 22' 0"
    Draft 11' 9"
    Speed 10 knots
    Complement 41
    Armament one 30-pdr Parrott rifle, two 12-pdr SB
    Propulsion steeple compound engine (18" 34" x 30"), single screw
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Namesake
    Bignonia
    140895601    		 625k A genus of flowering creeper vine in the family Bignoniaceae. In the United States, it is native to the southeastern United States. It is a tropical looking plant that climbs by using tendrils to wrap around stems or bark for support as it grows up tall objects like fences or pine trees. A cross section of its stem reveals a marking resembling the Greek cross, hence the common name Crossvine. It is also commonly known as trumpet flower.
    Bignonia capreolata flowers in spring, Moore County, NC. Photo by Susan Strine, CC BY 2.0    		 Dave Wright
    Commercial Service
    Bignonia
    140895602    		 84k Balize in civilian service on the Great Lakes, date unknown.
    Photo from William MacDonald Collection, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Detroit    		 Dave Wright
    Bignonia
    140895603    		 614k Balize in civilian service on the Great Lakes, 1900.
    Photo from Public Archives of Canada    		 Dave Wright
    Commanding Officers
    01Acting Volunteer LT Warrington D. Roath14 September 1864 - ????
    Bignonia
    DANFS history entry located at the Naval History and Heritage Command website
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors
    Back to the Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Yard and District Craft Photo Index Back To The District Harbor Tug (YT) Photo Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page was created and is maintained by David L. Wright
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 14 July 2022