USS ''Clyde'' was a

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

captured by the Union Navy 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 ...

, and commissioned to patrol Florida waters. She had been built in 1861 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland as the Clyde passenger steamer ''Neptune'', but sold in 1863 to become a blockade runner, making two successful round trips to

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 ...

before capture. After the war she was sold to mercantile interests as ''Indian River'', but lost shortly afterwards.

River Clyde

The iron-hulled ''Neptune'' was launched in 1861 at the shipyard of

Robert Napier and Sons Messrs Robert Napier and Sons was a famous firm of Clyde shipbuilders and marine engineers at Govan, Glasgow founded by Robert Napier in 1826. It was moved to Govan for more space in 1841. His sons James and John were taken into partnership in ...

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

for James S. Napier and James McIntyre, Glasgow. She was long, in breadth and deep and measured 260 tons burthen, 200 grt and 126 nrt. The ship was powered by a two-cylinder diagonal direct-acting steam engine, rated at 100 nhp and 995 ihp, also made by Napier, and driving a pair of side paddles. On trials on 31 May 1861 ''Neptune'' was recorded in the shipyard's records as achieving knots, making her "the fastest steamer afloat". ''Neptune'' made her maiden sailing the following day between

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

and

Rothesay Rothesay ( ; ) is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies along the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Wemyss Bay, which also offers an ...

, on the

Isle of Bute The Isle of Bute (; or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault. Formerly a constituent island of the larger County of ...

. By running from Greenock in conjunction with the trains from Glasgow, a much faster transit was offered compared with the all-water services from central Glasgow. She also ran the full route to Glasgow, occasionally becoming involved in the dangerous practice of racing against her crack rivals of 1861, ''Ruby'' and ''Rothesay Castle''.

U.S. Navy service

''Neptune''—a sidewheel steamer—was captured on 14 June 1863 by and 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 condemnation. Sent to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to be surveyed and appraised, she was purchased by the Navy Department and placed in commission on 29 July 1863,

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

A. A. Owens in command. Departing New York on 30 July 1863, the steamer arrived at

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on 3 August. Her name was changed to ''Clyde'' on 11 August. ''Clyde'' sailed from Washington on 6 September and arrived at Key West on 13 September for duty with 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 ...

. She patrolled the coastal and inland waters of western

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 ...

and among the

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...

until the end of the war. She captured the

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 ...

''Amaranth'' on 27 September, and participated in two boat expeditions up the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrog ...

and the

Waccasassa River The Waccasassa River is a small, isolated river in Levy County, Florida, flowing through the Gulf Hammock (wetlands), Gulf Hammock wetlands and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The river is long, and has a drainage basin of . Three-quarters of ...

, capturing nearly 200 bales of cotton. Arriving at

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front ...

on 10 August 1865, ''Clyde'' was decommissioned on 17 August, taken to

and sold on 25 October.

Mercantile service

Henry Titus purchased the ''Clyde'' and renamed her the ''Indian River''. He intended to use the steamer for shipping canned fish and oyster from the Indian River in Florida. Upon arriving at Indian River Inlet, the steamer grounded hard in the shallow inlet and could not be refloated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clyde Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy Shipwrecks of the Florida coast Maritime incidents in December 1865 Blockade runners of the American Civil War 1861 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Clyde steamers