USS Berberry ( 1864 ) USS " Berberry " ( 1864 ) was a steam - powered tugboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War . She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries . On 13 August 1864 at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , the Navy purchased Columbia , a wooden - hulled screw steamer built there earlier that year . The Navy renamed her Berberry , and she was placed in commission at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 12 September 1864 , Acting Ensign Milton Griffith in command . Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade . After about a fortnight ’ s towing duty that took her to Fort Monroe and Baltimore , Maryland , " Berberry " departed Philadelphia on 29 September and reached Beaufort , North Carolina , on 1 October for duty in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron . Two days later , she took station off the New Inlet entrance to North Carolina ’ s Cape Fear River where she labored to help tighten the blockade of Wilmington , North Carolina . Chasing after blockade runners in the dark of night . At 03 : 00 on the morning of 4 October , while patrolling east of Mount Light , the tug observed a steamer heading for New Inlet and gave chase . Although she fired two shots at the stranger , that blockade runner managed to cross " Berberry ' s " bow and escaped into New Inlet . At 21 : 45 on the following evening , a lookout in the tug sighted a long , low , two stack steamer standing out to sea from New Inlet . Later that night , Griffith reported that the blockade runner " . . . stood for us within 400 yards ; then kept off to the southward . " " Berberry " immediately attempted to cut off the steamer by getting between her and the bar . Meanwhile , she opened fire on the stranger and sent up " . . . rockets in the direction in which she was steering . " Despite the fact that fellow blockaders and joined the chase , the runner ' s speed enabled her to steam out of sight of her pursuers ; and she apparently made her way safely to the open sea . Attempting to free run - aground " Aster " , " Berberry " gets stuck . Shortly after midnight on 8 October , while " Berberry " was on station northeast of Mound Light , observers reported an approaching boat . Griffith hailed the stranger and ordered her alongside . She proved to be from the tug — that had run aground on Caroline Shoals while chasing a blockade runner that was attempting to enter New Inlet — and requested assistance . " Berberry " quickly set a course for New Inlet Bar where she took a hawser from " Aster " and attempted to pull the stranded tug free . However , the hawser parted without " Aster " s budging ; and " Berberry " made several more unsuccessful attempts before the falling tide compelled her to abandon the effort . She then tried to go alongside " Aster " so that she might rescue the tug ' s crew . It took " Berberry " some 20 minutes of difficult maneuvering to work into a position suitable for the transfer . She then took on board everyone from " Aster " with the exception of that vessel ' s captain , executive officer , and pilot who all remained behind to destroy their ship lest she fall into enemy hands . During the operation , " Berberry " thumped " . . . heavily on the bottom . . . " Then , as she moved away from " Aster " , " Berberry " ran over the hawser that became entangled with her propeller . Griffith then had his men raise all the awnings , blankets , and other large pieces of cloth as jury - rigged " . . . sails to drift the " Berberry " off shore . " Meanwhile , he burned Coston signal lights to call for help . " Niphon " comes to the rescue of " Berberry " while " Aster " burns . When he saw " Berberry " s signal , " Niphon " s commanding officer was preparing to launch boats to board and to destroy the stranded blockade running steamer " Annie " that " Aster " had been chasing . He immediately abandoned that project and headed for " Berberry " to render aid . About this time , " Aster " burst into flame , illuminating both " Berberry " and " Niphon " and enabling Confederate shore batteries to open fire on both Union ships . Despite the heavy barrage , " Niphon " pressed on with her rescue operations and pulled " Berberry " to safety . Unfortunately , the tug was leaking badly from striking the bottom and required repairs at the Norfolk Navy Yard . Continued North Carolina operations . Ready to resume action late in November , " Berberry " departed Hampton Roads on the 23rd and headed back to waters off New Inlet . She arrived there on the morning of the 26th and , that night , her guns persuaded an unidentified blockade runner to give up her attempt to escape to sea and to retire to Wilmington , North Carolina . Early in December , illness compelled Ens . Griffith to request relief and Ens . Robert W . Browntree took command of the tug on 4 December . On the 10th , a severe storm battered the tug and forced her to return to Beaufort for repairs . Mid - month found " Berberry " still at Beaufort in the Sounds of North Carolina , and she served there through the end of the year . On 3 January 1865 , Acting Ens . Peter C . Asserson took command of the tug that then returned to blockade duty off New Inlet . She operated there until 26 February . She then returned to Beaufort and operated in the sounds until after the collapse of the Confederacy . The tug left North Carolina ' s inland waters on 29 May and reached Hampton Roads the next day . Post - war decommissioning and sale . She sailed north on 1 June and reached New York on the 2nd . " Berberry " was decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 10 June . Sold at public auction there on 12 July , she was redocumented as " Rescue " on 31 July . The tug served through the turn of the century and was sold to a foreign purchaser in 1902 .