USS Colorado ( 1856 ) The first USS " Colorado " — a - class , three - masted steam screw frigate — was launched on 19 June 1856 by the Norfolk Navy Yard . It was sponsored by Ms . N . S . Dornin , and commissioned on 13 March 1858 , Captain W . H . Gardner in command . Pre - Civil War . Putting to sea from Boston on 12 May 1858 , " Colorado " cruised in Cuban waters deterring the practice of search by British cruiser s until 6 August , when she returned to Boston and was placed in ordinary until 1861 . Civil War . " Colorado " was recommissioned on 3 June 1861 and sailed from Boston on 18 June to join the Union Navy ' s Gulf Blockading Squadron , under the task force command of Commodore William Marvine ' s flagship for the Blockade . On 14 September , an expedition under Lieutenant J . H . Russell from " Colorado " cut out the schooner " Judah " , believed to be preparing for service as a privateer and spiked one gun of a battery at the Pensacola Navy Yard , losing three men in the raid . On 11 December , another expedition was sent to Pilot Town and succeeded in capturing a small schooner and two men . " Colorado " assisted in the capture of the steamer " Calhoun " ( or " Cuba " ) on 23 January 1862 off South West Pass at the mouth of the Mississippi River , and a week later engaged four Confederate steamers . She returned to Boston on 21 June and was decommissioned from 28 June - 10 November . " Colorado " sailed from Portsmouth , New Hampshire on 9 December to rejoin the blockading force off Mobile , Alabama on 13 March 1863 . She shared in the capture of the schooner " Hunter " on 17 May . Returning to Portsmouth Navy Yard on 4 February 1864 , she was again placed out of commission from 18 February - 1 September . Clearing Portsmouth on 6 October , she joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and cruised off the coast of North Carolina until 26 January 1865 . " Colorado " participated in the bombardment and capture of Fort Fisher from 13 – 15 January . She was struck six times by enemy fire which killed one man and wounded two . Post - Civil War . European Squadron . From 3 February - 25 May 1865 , " Colorado " was again out of commission at New York Navy Yard . Ordered to the European Squadron as flagship , she sailed on 11 June and cruised off England , Portugal , and Spain , and in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas until she departed Cherbourg on 23 July 1867 for New York where she was placed in ordinary from 7 September 1867 – 15 February 1870 . Asiatic Squadron . " Colorado " was flagship of the Asiatic Squadron . America had emerged from the Civil War and its foreign policy at the time was to rival the European powers ( France , Russia and Britain ) in their efforts to establish trade and spheres of influence in China , Japan and Korea . " Colorado " cruised on the Asiatic Station from 9 April 1870 – 15 March 1873 . As flagship for Rear Admiral John Rodgers ' squadron , she carried the U . S . Minister ( to China and Korea ) on a diplomatic mission in April 1871 . On 1 June 1871 , an unprovoked attack was made on two ships of the squadron by shore batteries from two Korean forts on the Salee River . When no explanation was offered , a punitive expedition known as the " Sinmiyangyo " was mounted that destroyed the forts and inflicted heavy casualties on the Koreans . Clearing Hong Kong on 21 November 1872 , " Colorado " sailed by way of Singapore and Cape Town for New York , arriving on 11 March 1873 . North Atlantic Squadron . " Colorado " sailed from New York on 12 December to cruise the North Atlantic Station , and became flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron on 27 August 1874 . Decommissioned . Returning to New York on 30 May 1876 , " Colorado " was placed out of commission on 8 June . From 1876 - 1884 , she was used as a Receiving Ship at New York Navy Yard . She was sold on 14 February 1885 to a private company ; and broken up for salvage material and burned for her copper fastenings .