USS ''Poppy'' was a steamer commissioned 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 served the Navy during the blockade of ports and waterways 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 ...

in a variety of ways: as a

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

, a

ship’s tender A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat or ship used to service or support other boats or ships. This is generally done by transporting people or supplies to and from shore or another ship. A second and distinctly different ...

, a mail and supply tug, an ordnance tug, and finally as a ram if the opportunity presented itself.

Purchased at Philadelphia

''Poppy'' (Screw Tug), originally white oak steamer ''Addie Douglass'', was purchased at

Philadelphia 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 ...

31 October 1863 from J. Alderdice; renamed ''Poppy''; and commissioned 10 November 1863.

Civil War service

During the Civil War, ''Poppy'' served as a

ship's tender A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat or ship used to service or support other boats or ships. This is generally done by transporting people or supplies to and from shore or another ship. A second and distinctly different ...

to the

North Atlantic 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 25 November 1863 she was with ironclad off

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...

. On 4 February 1864 she was in

Hampton Roads, Virginia Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Atlantic Ocean. ...

. By 17 March she was back off Newport News, again serving as a picket guard for ironclad ''Roanoke''. On the night of 8 April a small boat succeeded in attacking frigate , flagship of the

, with a

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

, making a clean escape. ''Poppy'' was ordered to ram the intruder, but was unable to do so because her steam was not up. ''Poppy'' was then used as mail and supply tug until 17 June when she was stationed in the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

above Wilson’s Wharf as a tender and ram to ironclads. Late in the year she became a tug in Hampton Roads and operated there and in the James River, becoming an ordnance tug at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, in April 1865.

Post-war deactivation

She was sold 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 ...

30 November 1865 to William Farrington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poppy Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Tugs of the United States Navy Tenders of the United States Navy Dispatch boats of the United States Navy Rams of the United States Navy American Civil War auxiliary ships of the United States