USS Swatara ( 1865 ) The first USS " Swatara " was a wooden , screw sloop in the United States Navy . She was named for Swatara Creek in Pennsylvania . " Swatara " was launched on 23 May 1865 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard ; sponsored by Miss Esther Johnson ; and commissioned on 15 November 1865 , Commander William A . Jeffers in command . Service history . Assigned to the West Indies Squadron , " Swatara " stood out from Hampton Roads on 12 January 1866 for Bermuda and the West Indies . She called at various ports , including Port of Spain , Trinidad ; La Guajira , Venezuela ; Curaçao , Netherlands West Indies ; and Havana . Departing Cuba on 1 May , " Swatara " arrived at the Washington Navy Yard on the 7th for repairs . European Squadron , 1866 – 1869 . Departing Washington on 16 June , " Swatara " steamed to Norfolk , Virginia . Assigned to the European Squadron , she stood out from Hampton Roads on 27 June and called at Fayal , Azores , before arriving at Lisbon on 19 July 1866 to join flagship and other members of her squadron . After visiting Southampton , England , " Swatara " anchored at Bremerhaven , Germany , 3 August to 8 September , representing United States concern over uneasiness in Europe in the aftermath of the Austro - Prussian War . Subsequently cruising southward , " Swatara " , called at Den Helder , Netherlands ; Southampton , England ; and the major French Atlantic seaports : Cherbourg , Brest , Lorient , Rochefort , and Bordeaux . After calling at Ferrol , Spain , " Swatara " arrived at Vigo on 26 October where the United States consul came on board to visit the ship on 6 November . Bound for Mediterranean duty , the sloop put into Tangier , Morocco ; and Gibraltar ; passing on to Spanish and French ports during November 1866 . On word that John Surratt , wanted for conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln , had been arrested in Rome , " Swatara " called at Civitavecchia , Papal States . Meanwhile Surratt had escaped and fled to Alexandria , Egypt , where he was recaptured . " Swatara " arrived there on 20 December 1866 , and returned with Surratt to the United States . Depositing him at the Washington Navy Yard in February , 1867 , she returned to Lisbon . She continued to cruise in the Mediterranean area throughout the first half of 1867 , spending from 1 July to 6 August replenishing at Lisbon . " Swatara " headed for the Mediterranean again in August , anchoring at Smyrna and Constantinople before returning westward to Lisbon . " Swatara " cruised down the West African coast in early 1868 , calling at Monrovia , Liberia , on 28 February and subsequently putting in at Fernando Po and St . Paul Loanda before returning northward to Puerto Praya , Cape Verde Islands , on 27 April . After reaching Lisbon , " Swatara " called at Southampton on 21 May , where she underwent repairs . Subsequently she returned to Spain . Departing Cadiz on 17 April 1869 , " Swatara " entered the Delaware Bay on 24 May and reached Philadelphia Navy Yard the next day . Subsequently arriving at the New York Navy Yard on 30 May , " Swatara " was decommissioned there on 17 June 1869 and placed in reserve . North Atlantic Squadron , 1869 – 1871 . Recommissioned on 11 November 1869 for the North Atlantic Squadron , " Swatara " put to sea on 27 November for Aspinwall , Colombia ( later Colón , Panama ) . Returning to New York on 12 January , " Swatara " was again deployed in the Caribbean into 1871 . There her principal service was protecting United States interests in Dominican waters , spending from February to May 1870 and from July to September 1871 anchored in Caldera Bay , San Domingo City , and other Dominican ports . After calling at Matanzas , Cuba , " Swatara " sailed via Key West and Hampton Roads to New York . She returned to the Norfolk Navy Yard where she was placed out of commission on 20 December 1871 . Nominally undergoing extensive repairs , " Swatara " was completely dismantled and given a new hull and machinery to become , in actuality , a new ship .