USS ''Hope'' was a 19th-century wooden

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

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 ...

, designed and built in 1861 by

Henry Steers Henry Steers (1779 in Dartmouth, England – 1850 in New York, US) was a prominent nineteenth-century American shipbuilder of English descent, and the ancestor of a line of important businessmen in various boatbuilding and maritime construction c ...

for Captain Thomas B. Ives of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. She was acquired 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 ...

. She was placed into service as a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

assigned to support the fleet blockading the ports of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

. However, at times, ''Hope'' was assigned extra tasks, such as that of a

dispatch boat Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message w ...

, supply runner and

salvage ship A salvage tug, also known historically as a wrecking tug, is a specialized type of tugboat that is used to rescue ships that are in distress or in danger of sinking, or to salvage ships that have already sunk or run aground. Overview Few tugbo ...

. She was a

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

from 1866 to 1891 and in 1891 she was replaced by the ''Herman Oelrichs,'' when the ''Hope'' was wrecked ashore the Sandy Hook Point.

Service history

Yacht ''Hope'' was launched from the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway and East ...

on March 11, 1861. She was designed and built by Henry Steers for Captain Thomas Boynton Ives, Esq, of Providence in 1861. A large crowd of witnesses were at the scene including Henry Steers and

Moses H. Grinnell Moses Hicks Grinnell (March 3, 1803 – November 24, 1877) was a shipper and businessman. He became a United States Congressman representing New York, and a Commissioner of New York City's Central Park. Early life Grinnell was born in New ...

. She was christened "Hope," a symbol of the feeling in every pilot about their boat.

US Navy career

''Hope'', a wooden schooner, was purchased by the Navy 29 November 1861 from Thomas B. Ives, and commissioned at

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 ...

14 December 1861, Acting Master M. S. Chase in command. ''Hope'' spent the war with the

South Atlantic Blockading Squadron The Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to enforce the Union blockade of the ports of the Confederate States. It was formed in 1861 and split up the same year for th ...

based at

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Corps R ...

. She acted as a dispatch vessel supply boat for ships to the southward. In 1862 she took part in the blockade off Fernandina and the adjacent coast of

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 ...

. While patrolling off

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, on 27 January 1863, ''Hope'' captured the schooner ''Emma Tuttle,'' with a cargo of

saltpeter Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate ...

for the Confederates. In June, the ship returned north for repairs at

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and in July resumed blockade station off Charleston. Throughout most of 1864, ''Hope'' remained off Charleston as a blockader, helping to tighten the noose, which did so much to choke the rebellion. She also performed limited dispatch and supply boat duty. ''Hope'' captured sloop ''Racer'', her second prize, off Bull's Bay 1 August 1864. Shortly afterward the ship was fitted for diving duty and in October began salvage operations in the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

, raising hulks and other obstacles. After the fall of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, in December, ''Hope'' worked on the salvage of CSS ''Savannah'', and in the spring moved to Charleston to carry out similar duties in the Charleston harbor. ''Hope'' returned north and decommissioned at New York City on 6 September 1865. She was sold 25 October 1865 to Thomas Morley.

Postwar civil service

''Hope No. 1,'' became a New York City Pilot Boat for the New York Pilots. Her captains were Captain Marshall and Thomas Morley. The ''Hope'' was registered with the Index to Ship Registers from 1877 to 1890 to the N. Y. Pilots and Captain Thomas Morely as

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 ...

. On December 19, 1866, pilot-boat ''Hope,'' No. 1, accepted a race with pilot-boat ''John D. Jones'', No. 15, from New York across the Atlantic to

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...

for $50,000. ON January 15, 1867, the Commissioners of Pilots issued an order forbidding the entrance of any pilot-boat into a contest, which was a disappointment to the pilots. On October 9, 1873, the ''Hope,'' was one of the boats that participated in the Ocean

Regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...

, for the Bennet Cup, which was a race from Owl's Head Point around to

Cape May Lighthouse The Cape May Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the U.S. state of New Jersey at the tip of Cape May, in Lower Township, New Jersey, Lower Township's Cape May Point State Park. It was built in 1859 under the supervision of U.S. Army Corps of To ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and back to the

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

Lightship. On July 31, 1887, Captain Thomas Morley, one of the oldest Sandy Hook pilots died suddenly. He had served as a pilot on the ''Moses H. Grinnell'' and had been on board pilot boat ''Hope No. 1'' for twenty years. ''Hope'' was thought to be lost near Sandy Hook on April 15, 1890, off Owl's Head by an unknown steamer. She was able to survive the accident and was towed into New York harbor. On March 13, 1891, ''Hope'' was wrecked ashore the Sandy Hook Point. The crew of the ''Hope,'' were all rescued by Captain Patterson and his Life-saving crew. New York pilot-boat ''Herman Oelrichs'', No. 1, was built in 1894 in

Essex, Connecticut Essex is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 6,733 at the 2020 census. It is made up of three villages: Essex Village, Centerbroo ...

, for the New York pilots, to replace the ''Hope'', wrecked in 1890. The ''Herman Oelrichs'' was the "fastest of the New York pilot fleet."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope Ships of the Union Navy Schooners of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy Dispatch boats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Schooners of the United States Individual sailing vessels Service vessels of the United States 1861 ships Pilot boats Ships built in Brooklyn