USS Savannah (1842)
Illustration of Savannah during the American Civil War as a sloop. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Savannah |
| Namesake | Savannah, Georgia |
| Ordered | 1818 |
| Builder | New York Navy Yard |
| Laid down | 1820 |
| Launched | 5 May 1842 |
| Decommissioned | 11 February 1862 |
| Out of service | 1870 |
| Fate | Sold, 1883 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Potomac-class frigate |
| Tonnage | 1,726 short tons (1,566 metric tons) |
| Beam | 47 ft (14 m) |
| Depth of hold | 22 ft 8 in (6.91 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Complement | 480 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USS Savannah was a Potomac-class frigate of the United States Navy. She was laid down in 1820 and intentionally left half-completed to preserve the hull in the event of an emergency. She was finally launched in 1842 and became the flagship of the Pacific Squadron in preparation for the Mexican-American War. During the war, she participated in several amphibious assaults in California. She led the squadron during the peaceful capture of Monterey and later tried to land marines to retake Los Angeles, although the operation failed. She then relieved a besieged American garrison at San Diego before sailing back to the United States.
For the next decade, she operated with the Pacific, Brazil, and Home Squadrons. In 1857, she was razeed to a sloop-of-war. During the American Civil War, she initially joined the blockade off Georgia and participated in the capture of two Confederate vessels. In 1862, she was decommissioned and operated with the US Naval Academy as a training ship until 1870. The ship was then laid up before she was sold off in 1883.