New Orleans station (US Navy)
| New Orleans Station | |
|---|---|
British and American Gunboats in Action on Lake Borgne, 14 December 1814 by Thomas Lyde Hornbrook | |
| Active | 1805–1826 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | command |
| Garrison/HQ | New Orleans |
| Conflicts | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | John Shaw David Porter John Shaw Daniel Todd Patterson |
The New Orleans Station of the US Navy was created following the Louisiana Purchase. It was this Naval presence, in the form of gunboats and repair facilities, that reinforced the policy of Thomas Jefferson's administration that West Florida was part of the Louisiana Purchase. Having fulfilled this original purpose, it fell victim to cuts in military spending after the War of 1812 by president James Monroe. It was closed down in 1826, when the Pensacola Station with its Pensacola Naval Yard was created. It was not until 1893 that a Naval station was re-established in New Orleans.
During his tenure as commanding officer at New Orleans, from 1808 to 1810, Porter set up an optical telegraph network, inspired by the one established by the French, and copied by the British. As such, it was the first American navy command to have a telegraph network, several years prior to the Commandant of the New York Naval Shipyard creating the network between Sandy Hook and New York in 1812, at the behest of President Madison.