USS Princess Royal, a 774 gross ton screw steam gunboat, was built at Glasgow, Scotland, in 1861 for commercial employment in the Irish Sea. On 29 January 1863 she was captured by USS Unadilla while attempting to run through the Federal blockade of Charleston, South Carolina. Her cargo included a steam engine that was later used to power USS Kansas. The U.S. Navy purchased her in March 1863 and, after converting her to a warship, placed her in commission in late May.
Sent to the Gulf of Mexico, in June 1863 Princess Royal took part in a bombardment of enemy cavalry at Donaldsonville, Louisiana. While serving off the Texas coast between mid-1863 and early 1865, she captured or destroyed several sailing blockade runners. USS Princess Royal returned north in July 1865, as the Navy was reducing its forces following the end of the Civil War. Sold in August of that year, she became the merchant steamer General Sherman and was active until 10 January 1874, when she sank off Cape Fear, North Carolina.
This page features the only view we have concerning USS Princess Royal (1863-1865).
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 30 November 2003