USS Wampanoag ( 1864 ) The first USS " Wampanoag " was a screw frigate in the United States Navy built during the American Civil War . Development and design . Commerce raiding by CSS " Alabama " and CSS " Florida " , both built in English yards , reached a point in 1863 where continued peaceful relations between the United States and Great Britain were seriously jeopardized . As a result , Congress responded by authorizing construction of a new class of screw frigates as part of the naval procurement bill of that year . These vessels , designed to be the fastest in the world , were intended for use in hit - and - run operations against British ports and commerce in the event of war . " Wampanoag " was the lead ship of this class . " Wampanoag " contained numerous design features unprecedented in American naval construction . Her hull — designed by clipper ship architect Benjamin Franklin Delano — was unusually long and tapered relative to the vessel ' s beam . Her machinery , developed by controversial Naval Engineer Benjamin F . Isherwood , was unique for its geared steam engine in which slow - moving machinery coupled to fast - moving propulsion gear . Tremendous debate caused by this design delayed construction , preventing " Wampanoag " from being completed in time to serve in the American Civil War . Service history . " Wampanoag " was laid down on 3 August 1863 by the New York Navy Yard ; launched on 15 December 1864 ; sponsored by Miss Case , daughter of Capt . Augustus Ludlow Case , second - in - command of the navy yard ; and commissioned on 17 September 1867 , Capt . J . W . A . Nicholson in command . Sea trials . The screw frigate finally left New York for sea trials on 7 February 1868 . On 11 February , she commenced speed tests , running flat - out in rough weather from Barnegat Light , New Jersey , to Tybee Island , Georgia . She covered the distance of 633 nautical miles ( 1 , 172 km ) in 38 hours for an average sustained speed of 16 . 6 knots ( 31 km / h ) , at one point making 17 . 75 knots ( 33 km / h ) . This record for a United States Navy vessel stood for 21 years until it was broken by . Deployment . From 22 February 1868 to 8 April , " Wampanoag " was deployed as flagship of the North Atlantic Fleet . On 5 May 1868 , she decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard . " Wampanoag " was renamed " Florida " on 15 May 1869 . Condemnation . The controversy generated by the frigate ' s unconventional design reached a peak in 1869 when a naval commission examined and condemned the vessel . Rear Admiral Louis M . Goldsborough , Commodore Charles S . Boggs , and Engineers Edward D . Robie , John W . Moore , and Isaac Newton judged the ship unacceptable for active duty in the Navy . They complained of her unusually large machinery spaces , heavy coal consumption , and found particular fault with her narrow breadth relative to her length . The commission said this caused inordinate rolling and straining of the vessel . As a result , " Florida " remained in ordinary at New York for five years before departing on 5 March 1874 , bound for New London , Connecticut , to become a receiving and store ship at the naval station there . " Florida " remained at New London , rotting , until February 1885 . She was sold , at New York , on 27 February 1885 to Edwin LeBars .