USS De Soto (1859)
USS De Soto in the harbor of Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1868. The original print is mounted on a carte de visite. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | SS De Soto |
| Namesake | Hernando De Soto (1496-1524), Spanish explorer and conquistador |
| Owner | Livingston, Crocheron & Co. |
| Port of registry | United States |
| Route | New York–Havana–New Orleans |
| Builder | Lawrence & Foulks (New York City) |
| Launched | 25 June 1859 |
| Completed | 1859 |
| In service | August 1859? |
| Out of service | 12 August 1861 |
| Fate | Sold to U.S. Navy, 12 August 1861 |
| United States | |
| Name | USS De Soto |
| Acquired | Purchased 21 August 1861 |
| Commissioned |
|
| Fate | Sold 30 September 1868 |
| United States | |
| Name | SS De Soto |
| Owner | Livingston, Fox & Co. |
| Port of registry | United States |
| Route | New York–Havana–New Orleans |
| Acquired | Purchased from U.S. Navy 30 September 1868 |
| In service | 1868 |
| Out of service | 31 December 1870 |
| Fate | Destroyed by fire 31 December 1870 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1,675 tons |
| Length | 253 ft (77 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Draught | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14 mph (12 knots) in favorable conditions |
| Complement | 130 |
| Armament |
|
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USS De Soto was a fast wooden-hulled sidewheel steamship that saw service as a U.S. Navy gunboat during the American Civil War.
De Soto was originally a privately owned vessel, built for passenger service between New York and New Orleans. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, she was purchased by the Navy, commissioned as USS De Soto, and sent to assist with the blockade of Confederate ports. De Soto's speed made her an effective pursuit ship, and she would capture or bring about the destruction of a total of eighteen blockade runners during the war.
In the postwar period, De Soto continued to serve with the Navy, mostly in South American waters, until resold to her original owners in 1868 for resumption of service as a passenger ship. She caught fire and was burned to the waterline in December 1870.