USS Rhode Island (1860)

	USS Rhode Island anchored off Newport, Rhode Island, in 1866
History
United States
Name	John P. King (yard name); Eagle (yard name); USS Rhode Island (1861); Charleston (1867);
Builder	J. A. Westervelt & Sons (Manhattan, NY)
Laid down	1860
Launched	6 Sep 1860
Acquired	by purchase, 27 Jun 1861
Commissioned	29 Jul 1861 – 21 Apr 1864; 3 Oct 1864 – 1867;
Fate	Sold for merchant service, 1 Oct 1867; abandoned, 1885
General characteristics
Type	Steamer
Tonnage	1517 tons burthen
Length	236 ft 2 in (71.98 m)
Beam	36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)
Draft	15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion	Steam engine
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	257 officers and enlisted
Armament	As supply ship (1861–1864) :; 4 × 32-pounder guns; As auxiliary cruiser (1864–1867) :; 1 × 11 in (280 mm) gun; 8 × 8 in (200 mm) guns; 1 × 30-pounder Parrott rifle; 1 × 12-pounder rifle;

USS Rhode Island was a fast sidewheel supply ship and later armed cruiser which served in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was the first ship of the Navy to bear the name.

Rhode Island was originally built in New York in 1860 as the merchant ship John P. King. After being severely damaged by fire just after completion, the steamer was rebuilt and renamed Eagle. Before entering service, Eagle was purchased by the Navy and commissioned as the supply ship USS Rhode Island. In this capacity, Rhode Island was towing the historic ironclad USS Monitor to New York in 1862 when the latter vessel sank in a gale off Cape Hatteras; six of Rhode Island's crew were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the disaster.

Refitted as a cruiser in 1864, Rhode Island continued to serve through the war and after. In 1866, another member of her crew received the Medal of Honor for the rescue of a shipmate.

Sold in 1867, the ship returned to merchant service the same year as Charleston until 1885, when she was abandoned by her owners.