USS Victoria ( 1855 ) USS " Victoria " ( 1855 ) was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War . " Victoria " was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways . Constructed in Philadelphia as a steamer in 1855 . " Victoria " — a wooden steamer built at Kensington , Pennsylvania , in 1855 — was purchased by the Union Navy at New York City on 26 December 1861 for blockade duty during the Civil War ; and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 13 March 1862 , Lt . Comdr . George A . Stevens in command . Civil War operations . Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade . Upon her commissioning , " Victoria " was assigned to Rear Admiral Louis M . Goldsborough ' s North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and left New York , bound for Hampton Roads , Virginia , on 17 March 1862 . She arrived there on the 20th , reconnoitered the mouth of the Rappahannock River , Virginia , from the 25th to the 31st , and towed the gunboat " Chocura " to the Baltimore , Maryland , Navy Yard , on 2 April . She returned to Hampton Roads , Virginia , on the 4th but , on the 17th , was ordered to join the blockade off Wilmington , North Carolina . Handicapped by a slow speed in catching blockade runners . " Victoria " operated exclusively in the coastal waters , sounds , rivers , and inlets of North Carolina during the remainder of her active naval career . In company with other Union blockaders , she compiled an impressive list of prizes but often failed to capture sighted blockade runners because of her greatly inferior speed and generally poor condition . The first successful capture was the steamer " Nassau " and her cargo of Enfield rifle s and ammunition , seized by " Victoria " and off Confederate Fort Caswell , North Carolina , on 28 May . Also off Fort Caswell , " Victoria " , , and chased aground and destroyed the blockade runner " Emily " standing in for Wilmington , North Carolina , on 26 June . " Victoria " sailed for Beaufort , North Carolina , for repairs on 30 August , returned to the blockade off New Inlet , North Carolina , on 4 September , and put into the Norfolk Navy Yard , Virginia , for more extensive repairs on the 21st . Returned to patrol after repairs in Norfolk . Repairs completed , " Victoria " left Norfolk , Virginia , on 8 December , arriving at her old duty station off Wilmington , North Carolina , on the 9th . She immediately resumed her routine patrol and reconnaissance activities and , on 25 December , prevented an unidentified blockade - running steamer from landing ashore below the Cape Fear River , North Carolina . " Victoria ’ s " landing party captures the brig " Minna " . On 28 December , she chased a large steamer near Little River , North Carolina , and landed a small reconnaissance party near the mouth of the river on the 31st . " Victoria " captured the brig " Minna " and her cargo of salt and drugs near Shallote Inlet , North Carolina , on 18 February 1863 . After another unsuccessful pursuit of a blockade runner on the night of the 24th , and " Victoria " seized the blockade - running British steamer " Nicolai I " off Cape Fear , North Carolina , on 21 March . Temporary repairs effected at the Norfolk Navy Yard . During the remainder of the year , " Victoria ' s " already fragile structural condition steadily deteriorated , prompting her disgruntled captain to complain in August that the vessel was unfit to remain with the blockade off Wilmington . Nevertheless , she continued on station and , after several more unsuccessful pursuits of blockade running steamers , finally put into the Norfolk Navy Yard for temporary repairs in early October . After a brief return to duty later in the month , at which time she captured a small sloop off Little River on the 15th , " Victoria " entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for a major overhaul in November . " Victoria " pursues and destroys blockade runner " Georgiana McCaw " . These latest repairs took almost six months to complete , and " Victoria " did not leave the navy yard for the Wilmington blockade until late April 1864 . Once there , she fired upon , chased aground , and destroyed the blockade - running steamer " Georgiana McCaw " near Wilmington on 2 June 1864 . " Victoria " damaged in collision with " Cherokee " . However , the gunboat again began to deteriorate soon thereafter and spent most of the remainder of the year in hopeless , frustrating pursuits of blockade runners . " Victoria " was damaged further in a collision with the steamer that summer and eventually returned to the Norfolk Navy Yard for a new round of repairs in December . Post - war decommissioning , sale and subsequent maritime career . " Victoria " remained at Norfolk for the duration of the war , where she was decommissioned on 4 May 1865 . She was sold at auction at New York City to L . A . Edwards on 30 November ; redocumented on 13 June 1866 ; and dropped from documentation in 1871 . References .