USS Hartford

USS Hartford, launched on November 22nd, 1858 at the Boston Navy Yard, was the first vessel of the United States Navy to be named after the capital of the state, Connecticut. She was commissioned on May 27th, 1859 under the command of Captain Charles Lowndes. Carrying the commander of the East India Squadron, the Hartford sailed out of Boston, heading for the Far East using the Cape of Good Hope. She relieved the USS Mississippi as a flagship. In November of 1859, the Hartford carried an American Minister to China and Hong Kong. She remained on the East India Squadron until the Civil War broke out. She was ordered to return to the United States. She arrived in Philadelphia on December 2nd, 1861 and was fitted out for wartime service. She departed the Delaware Capes as a flagship for Command David Farragut and his new West Gulf Blockading Squadron. By the end of 1861, the Union decided to capture the South’s richest city, New Orleans. In February of 1862, the Hartford arrived at Ship Island between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi River. Now, Farragut needed to get his flagships across the bar to the mouth of the Mississippi. He got all of his vessels across except the USS Colorado because it’s draft was to deep to cross. Now, the Confederates were challenging further advance at Fort St. Phillip and Jackson. Six different Confederate vessels were lined up with barrier chains, including the CSS Manassas and the unfinished but potentially deadly CSS Louisiana. Now, Farragut’s ships were facing the Confederate River Defense Fleet. On April 16th, 1862, his fleet positioned themselves below the forts and answered Confederate gunfire. On the 24th, the Battle had begun and the ironclad ram, CSS Manassas, attempted to ram the Hartford but she was able to dodge the attack but, ended up attempting to avoid a fire raft and grounded outside Fort St. Phillip. The burning barge was pushing up against the Hartford but, luckily the Hartford crew was able to hold back the flames, even when they ended up engulfing a large portion of their vessel. While the Hartford’s firefighters worked, the USS Hartford became free of the bank. Farragut’s ships passed out of range of the forts guns but became face to face with the Confederate River Defense Fleet. The Confederates were only able to capsize the converted merchantman, USS Varuna that night. After silencing Confederate batteries, the next day, the Hartford and her sister anchored off of the city of New Orleans. In May, Farragut ordered to continue their conquest up the river, the cities of Baton Rouge and Natchez surrendered to the Union fleet quickly. On June 26th, 1862, the Union Squadron assembled south of Vicksburg where guns were stationed. Two days later, their vessels suffered little damage while sailing past the batteries. Twice in a row, attempts to capture Vicksburg were frustrated by a lack of troops. The Hartford received orders to sail back down to New Orleans and went to Pensacola, Florida for repairs. On November 9th, 1862, the Hartford returned to New Orleans to prepare for further operations in the unpredictable Mississippi River. The Union, helped by the Mississippi Squadron, pressed Northward into Vicksburg, but Farragut needed extra assistance to blockade the Red River, to where supplies were pouring into the Confederate army. The Confederates began erecting heavy batteries at Port Hudson, Louisiana and on the night of March 14th, 1863, the Hartford and six other vessels attempted to run by the Port Hudson batteries. Unfortunately, they were in such heavy fire that only the USS Albatross was able to run the gauntlet. Ulysses S. Grant’s troops were able to surround and force Vicksburg to surrender. With the Mississippi River now open, Farragut turned his attention to Mobile, Alabama, which was an industrial powerhouse for Confederate war supplies. The Battle of Mobile Bay occurred on August 5th, 1864. The Confederate Naval force consisted of their new ram, CSS Tennessee, and the gunboats CSS Selma, CSS Morgan, and CSS Gaines. This force was also backed by the powerful guns of Fort Morgan and Gaines. Within three hours, the CSS Tennessee rose the white flag and surrendered to the Union fleet, but those three hours of fighting were terrifying, the Confederates only suffered 32 casualties while the Union suffered 335, including the 113 that drowned when the USS Tecumseh struck a torpedo mine and sank. Twelve sailors on the Hartford received a Medal of Honor. On December 20th, 1864, she was decommissioned for repairs and was back in shape by July 1865 and served as a flagship for the newly created Asiatic Squadron. She continued to serve there until 1882, when she became part of the North Atlantic Squadron. She was decommissioned again on January 14th, 1887 at Mare Island, California and stayed there until she was recommissioned on October 2nd, 1899. She was sent to the Atlantic coast to be used for training and cruises until October 1912, when she was taken to Charleston to be used as a station ship. Once more placed out of commission on August 20th, 1926, she remained in Charleston until she was brought to Washington on October 18th, 1938 due to President Franklin Roosevelt. He had plans to build a large Naval museum, featuring the USS Hartford, USS Olympia, and a four-stack destroyer from World War I but, Roosevelt passed away and his plans were abandoned. After this, the Hartford was taken to the Norfolk Navy Yard to await restoration but on November 20th, 1956, she deteriorated enough for her to sink at the berth and become unrecoverable.