USS Swatara ( 1873 ) As part of the Secretary of the Navy George M . Robeson ' s plans to overhaul and modernize ships of the Navy , the first USS " Swatara " was taken to the New York Navy Yard in 1872 , ostensibly for " repairs " . In fact , the " repairs " constituted construction of a new ship , for " Swatara " was given a new hull and unused machinery which had been in storage since 1865 . Embodying only certain fittings and equipment from the first ship , the second " Swatara " was launched on 17 September 1873 at the New York Navy Yard and commissioned on 11 May 1874 , Capt . Ralph Chandler in command . Service history . 1874 – 1878 . Departing New York on 8 June , " Swatara " transported five scientific parties to the South Pacific to observe the transit of Venus . " Swatara " debarked the first team at Hobart , Tasmania , on 1 October 1874 before touching at Kerguelen Island ; Queenstown , Tasmania ; New Zealand ; and Chatham Island . She returned all but one of the parties , picked up by , to Melbourne early in 1875 and eventually arrived at New York on 31 May 1875 via the Cape of Good Hope . Assigned to the North Atlantic Squadron , " Swatara " cruised in Atlantic and Caribbean waters into 1878 . While anchored in a harbor of Pará , Brazil , on 1 December 1875 , Captain of the Top Michael Deneef jumped overboard and rescued a shipmate from drowning , for which he was later awarded the Medal of Honor . Entering the Boston Navy Yard on 1 August 1878 , " Swatara " was decommissioned on 5 November and placed in reserve . 1879 – 1886 . " Swatara " was recommissioned on 24 December 1879 at Boston Navy Yard and departed on 21 January 1880 for the Far East . She visited numerous Mediterranean ports and transited the Suez Canal , eventually arriving at Hong Kong on 17 April 1880 . " Swatara " called at many east Asian ports during her Asiatic Squadron duty , including long stays at Shanghai , Chefoo , and Yokohama . Departing from Yokohama on 7 July 1882 , " Swatara " headed for home waters , via the Cape of Good Hope , and arrived at Hampton Roads on 4 December 1882 for overhaul . Subsequently ordered to join the North Atlantic Squadron , " Swatara " cruised in the West Indies from January to April 1883 , and arrived at Aspinwall , Colombia ( now Colón , Panama ) , on 1 May . She sailed for Florida and reached Key West on 24 May . Ordered to the New York Navy Yard for repairs , " Swatara " arrived on 7 June and was ready for sea again on 23 August . After cruising off the Massachusetts coast , she was ordered southward to Port - au - Prince , Haiti . She remained in the Caribbean until April 1884 , returning to Key West on 28 April . She cruised off the east coast of the United States into September , and then took part in squadron maneuvers in Narragansett Bay . During September 1885 , escorted by , she transported a cargo of gold bullion from New Orleans to Washington , D . C . In early 1886 , she was assigned hydrographic duties fixing locations on the Puerto Rican coast . After subsequently cruising as far north as Halifax , Nova Scotia , " Swatara " arrived at the Portsmouth Navy Yard , Portsmouth , N . H . , where she was decommissioned on 27 October 1886 . 1888 – 1896 . Recommissioned there on 1 March 1888 , " Swatara " was assigned to the South Atlantic Squadron . She visited Argentine and Uruguayan ports before putting into Port Stanley , Falkland Islands , on 8 January 1889 . Reassigned to the Asiatic Squadron , " Swatara " departed from Port Stanley on 11 March 1889 for Cape Horn and the Pacific . Arriving at Hong Kong , " Swatara " departed on 23 November to visit Chinese and Japanese ports . Remaining on the Asiatic station into the following year , " Swatara " was flagship for Rear Admiral George Belknap , Commander - in - Chief , Asiatic Fleet , from 4 October 1890 until the ship was ordered home later in the month . " Swatara " stood out from Yokohama harbor on 29 October and arrived at San Francisco on 30 November . Subsequently transferred to the Mare Island Navy Yard on 6 December , " Swatara " was decommissioned there on 7 February 1891 . Designated " in ordinary " at Mare Island , " Swatara " s battery was landed , and she remained inactive into 1896 . Ordered sold by an act dated 10 June 1896 , " Swatara " was struck from the Navy list on 29 July and sold at public auction on 2 November to the Johnson Wrecking Co . of San Francisco , Calif . , for scrapping .