USS ''Ariel'' was a captured Confederate schooner acquired by the Union Navy from the

prize court A prize court is a court (or even a single individual, such as an ambassador or consul) authorized to consider whether prizes have been lawfully captured, typically whether a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the te ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Service history

Early in the Civil War—a small, privately owned

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

—worked out of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, under Confederate papers as a

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...

. Few details of these operations have been found; but we do know that, on the night of 11 October 1862, she succeeded in slipping through the Federal blockade off

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...

and sailed to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

laden with

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. After arriving at

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.''Huntsville''. Sent to

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

, for adjudication, the schooner was eventually condemned as a lawful prize and was purchased by the Union Navy from the Key West prize court on 24 July 1863. Long before her formal acquisition, ''Ariel'' was fitted out for service in the

East Gulf Blockading Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

. On 21 December 1862, Rear Admiral Theodorus Bailey detached Acting

Master's Mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the British Royal Navy, Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the sailing master, master. Master's mates evolved into th ...

William C. Molloy from the recently arrived bark ''Gem of the Sea'' and ordered him to assume command of the schooner; and she began service as a tender to the squadron

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

, the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

''St. Lawrence''. For the remainder of her service in the Union Navy—some two and one-half years—she spent most of her time acting as a tender to a larger warship, often the flagship. While carrying out the unglamorous, monotonous, but important tasks assigned to her as she labored in her ancillary capacity, ''Ariel'' managed to take three prizes. The first came on 6 January 1863, As she was cruising off Key Biscayne Bay, Florida, about mid-afternoon, she ". . . saw a suspicious looking craft . . ." sailing close to shore and immediately changed course to investigate The stranger attempted to flee; but, after a chase lasting over two and one-half hours, was overtaken and forced to heave to. The prize proved to be the sloop ''Good Luck'', bound from

New Smyrna, Florida New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, located on the central east coast of the state, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The downtown section of the city is located on the west side of the Indian River and the ...

, with a cargo of

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

and

to be delivered to

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Austria * Nassau (Groß Sankt Florian), incorporated village of Groß Sankt Florian Bahamas *Nassau, The Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upp ...

New Providence Island New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital city of Nassau; it had a population of 246,329 at the 2010 Census, and a po ...

, in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

. Her master, Edward Dexter, had already achieved considerable notoriety as a blockade runner. Since the sloop was leaky, ''Ariel'' towed her to Key West where she was turned over to the ''prize court''. Her next score did not come until late in the year when she captured ''Magnolia'' on 16 December 1863. When ''Ariel'' took that Confederate sloop, she was in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

, some 70 miles west of

Charlotte Harbor, Florida Charlotte Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. The name Charlotte Harbor also refers to Charlotte Harbor (estuary) and Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park, a preserve with of shoreline alon ...

, and heading for

, with medicines and liquor. Off the mouth of the

Chassahowitzka River The Chassahowitzka River is a spring-fed river located in southwestern Citrus County, Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river is home to hun ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, on 28 May 1864, two boats from ''Ariel'' captured ''General Finegan'' carrying cotton and turpentine from

Crystal River, Florida Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,396 in the 2020 census, up from 3,108 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Citrus County, Florida, Metrop ...

, and heading for Havana. The cargo was removed and sent to Key West; but, since she was leaking, the sloop was burned. About this time, ''Ariel'' became active in supporting Army operations. In mid-April 1864, she assisted troops which had been ordered to reinforce

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

, and she continued to conduct similar operations through the ensuing summer. For instance, on the evening of 16 September, while ''Ariel'' was acting as a tender to screw steamer ''Hendrick Hudson'', the schooner's commanding officer, Acting Master J. Russell, organized an expedition to a point near

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

, to take possession of a large amount of cotton owned by David Hope, a renowned skipper of southern blockade runners. What cotton the expedition could carry was sent to Key West and the rest was put to the torch. Thereafter, ''Ariel'' continued to serve along the Florida coast through the end of the Civil War. After the collapse of the Confederacy, she was sold at Key West on 28 June 1865 to a John Curry

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ariel Ships of the Union Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy Schooners of the United States Navy Tenders of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States