USS Sabine (1855)
Sabine at an unknown date | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | USS Sabine |
| Namesake | Sabine River |
| Builder | New York Navy Yard |
| Laid down | 1822 |
| Launched | 3 February 1855 |
| Commissioned | 23 August 1858 |
| Decommissioned | 1877 |
| Fate | Sold, 23 September 1883 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Brandywine-class frigate |
| Tonnage | 1726 |
| Length | 202 ft 6 in (61.72 m) |
| Beam | 47 ft (14 m) |
| Draft | 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 400 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | 44 to 50 guns |
USS Sabine was a Potomac-class sailing frigate operated by the United States Navy between 1858 and 1883. Laid down in 1822, her construction was significantly delayed as the Navy had no immediate need or budget for the frigate. Launched in 1855, she was immediately outdated and was one of the last sail-only frigates launched by the Navy. Alongside her sister ship Santee, her hull was lengthened in a failed attempt to modernize the design. The two ships are sometimes known as the Sabine-class.
Her maiden deployment was with the Paraguay Expedition in 1858, although she was too large to sail up the Paraguay River and played a minor role. After returning to the United States, she joined the Union blockade during the American Civil War and was assigned to the Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She operated off Florida and South Carolina and partook in other Union operations, such as searching for Confederate blockade runners. At the end of the war, she was repurposed as a training ship before she was laid up in 1877 and sold off in 1883.