USS Kennebec ( 1861 ) USS " Kennebec " was a built for the U . S . Navy following the outbreak of the American Civil War . She was named for the Kennebec River . " Kennebec " was launched 5 October 1861 by G . W . Lawrence , Thomaston , Maine ; and commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 8 February 1862 , Lieutenant John Henry Russell in command . Operational history . Blockade duty . The new gunboat was assigned to Admiral David Farragut ' s newly created West Gulf Blockading Squadron and stood out to sea 12 February 1862 . She reached Ship Island , Mississippi , 5 March and 3 days later crossed the bar at Pass a l ' Outre and entered the Mississippi River . In the ensuing weeks she did reconnaissance and patrol duty , occasionally engaging Confederate ships chasing them upstream . Attack on Forts Jackson and St . Phillip . On 28 March she and " Wissahickon " steamed up the river within sight of Fort Jackson and found the cable - linked line of hulks which the South had placed across the river to bar Farragut ' s invaders . After Southern batteries at the Fort opened a rapid fire on the gunboats , they retired down the river ; but , from time to time thereafter , they steamed up to learn more about the Southern defenses while Farragut made ready to attack . On 18 April a flotilla of schooner s under Commander David Dixon Porter opened a steady fire on Forts Jackson and St . Philip , and maintained the barrage until it reached a crescendo on the night of 24 April as Farragut in " Hartford " led his fleet past the forts . " Kennebec " , in the gunboat division commanded by Captain Henry H . Bell , became entangled in the line of rafts which obstructed the river and struck one of the Confederate schooners . This delayed her until Admiral Farragut had completed his dash , enabling the Confederate guns fire to concentrate their fire on " Kennebec " , " Itasca " and " Winona " . As dawn had made their ships even more vulnerable targets , their commanders ordered the crews to lie flat on the decks while the gunboats drifted down stream out of action . However , " Kennebec ' s " disappointment was softened 4 days later when she was on hand to see the Stars and Bars at Fort Jackson lowered and the Stars and Stripes raised in their place . Mississippi . Patrol and convoy duty up and down the Mississippi occupied " Kennebec " for the next 2 months . She was with Farragut below Vicksburg , Mississippi 25 June , and began a bombardment of the Confederate batteries there the next day . She remained below with Brooklyn continuing the shelling until Farragut had safely run by the Southern guns on the 28th and joined Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis above Vicksburg . The gunboat engaged batteries and snipers ashore for 2 days before heading down stream to resume escort and patrol duty . The tricky waters of the Mississippi ever threatened to fling the gunboat hard aground in hostile territory ; and Confederate cannon and riflemen lay hidden ashore waiting to harass ' the Union ships and their men . Gulf of Mexico . On 9 August " Kennebec " headed for the open sea for blockade and cruising duty in the Gulf of Mexico . From time she exchanged fire with shore batteries and shelled targets ashore . She helped capture schooner " Jupiter " 4 May 1863 and took schooner " Hunter " on the 17th . Steamer " William Bayley " fell prey to her 18 July . She shared in the capture of schooner " Winona " off Mobile , Alabama 29 November and she took schooner " Marshall J . Smith " laden with 260 bales of cotton 9 December . On the last day of 1863 , she made a prize of steamer " Grey Jacket " after the blockade runner had slipped out of Mobile laden with cotton , rosin , and turpentine for Havana . She then took schooner " John Scott " after an 8 - hour chase 7 January 1864 . The conquest of Mobile was Farragut ' s next major objective . " Kennebec " helped blockade the port during the spring and summer of 1864 . On 30 June " Glasgow " had forced blockade - running steamer " Ivanhoe " to run aground near Fort Morgan 30 June . Because the steamer was protected by the fort ' s guns , Rear Admiral Farragut attempted at first to destroy her by long range fire from " Metacomet " and " Monongahela " . When this proved unsuccessful , Farragut authorized his Flag Lieutenant , J . Crittenden Watson , to lead a boat expedition to burn " Ivanhoe " . Under the cover of darkness and the ready guns on board " Metacomet " and " Kennebec " , Watson led four boats directly to the grounded steamer and fired her in two places shortly after midnight 6 July . Farragut wrote : " The admiral commanding has much pleasure in announcing to the fleet , what was anxiously looked for last night by hundreds , the destruction of the blockade runner ashore under the rebel batteries by an expedition of boats . . . the entire conduct of the expedition was marked by a promptness and energy which shows what may be expected of such officers and men on similar occasions . " On the morning of 5 August Admiral Farragut was ready to attack Mobile . " Kennebec " was lashed alongside " Monongahela " when the Union ships got underway shortly after 6 A . M . An hour later the guns at Fort Morgan opened fire and Confederate steamers " Morgan " and " Games " soon joined them . Undaunted Farragut ' s ships steamed steadily ahead and answered as they came within range . After an hour of fighting , the South ' s ironclad ram " Tennessee " passed across " Monongahela ' s " bow and struck " Kennebec ' s " bow ; glanced off ; and fired into the gunboat ' s berth deck as she pulled away , wounding four members of " Kennebec ' s " crew but doing little damage to the ship . " Kennebec " then cast off from " Monongahela " and steamed up the bay . By mid - morning all major Confederate opposition afloat had been destroyed or captured ; and the rest of the day was spent rounding up Southern merchant ships . " Kennebec " chased several and captured schooner " Corina " . On 8 August Fort Gaines surrendered ; and " Kennebec " turned her attention to shelling Fort Morgan until that valiantly - defended southern stronghold surrendered on the 23d . After repairs at Pensacola , Florida , " Kennebec " sailed for the Texas coast 10 March 1865 and remained on blockade there until the Confederacy collapsed . Off Galveston , Texas she engaged in one of the last actions of the war . On 24 May blockade runner " Denbigh " , once described by Admiral Farragut as " too quick for us , " was found aground at daylight on Bird Key Spit , near Galveston . She had attempted to run into the Texas port once again under cover of darkness . She was destroyed during the day by gunfire from " Cornubia " and " Princess Royal " , and later boarding parties from " Kennebec " and " Seminole " set her aflame . Prior to the capture of Mobile Bay , " Denbigh " had plagued Farragut by running regularly from Mobile to Havana . Post war . After the war ended , " Kennebec " remained off the Texas coast providing stability as Union authority was restored and keeping an eye on events in Mexico , where French intervention had violated the Monroe Doctrine . She headed eastward 6 July , stopped at Pensacola a week , and reached Hampton Roads on the 23rd . Five days later she sailed North and reached Boston 1 August . " Kennebec " decommissioned at Boston Navy Yard 9 August 1865 and was sold at New York 30 November 1865 .