USS Mistletoe (1861)

USS Mistletoe (1861) was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was planned by the Union Navy for use as a tugboat whose task it was to tow other ships or to free them when they became stuck or otherwise inoperable.

Mistletoe, a small steam tug, was built as Restless at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1861; purchased by the U.S. War Department early in the Civil War for service in the Western Flotilla and renamed; transferred to the Navy at Cairo, Illinois, 30 September 1862; and commissioned 1 October 1862, Acting Ens. James L. Quigley in command.

Mistletoe served as a tug at the Cairo Naval Base until joining the Mississippi Squadron downriver 7 September 1863.

After the end of the Civil War, she was sold at public auction at Mound City, Illinois, to S. Horner 20 November 1864. She was redocumented as Ella Wood 6 February 1866 and remained in merchant service until 1871.

See also

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

USS Mistletoe (1872)

The second USS Mistletoe was a wooden lighthouse tender built in Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1872.

Service history

The ship was operated by the Lighthouse Service of the Commerce Department. On 11 April 1917, she was transferred to the Navy with the entire Lighthouse Service by executive order.

Assigned to the 3rd Naval District, Mistletoe served during World War I as a patrol boat out of Section Base No. 8, Tompkinsville, Staten Island. Following the end of the war, the vessel was returned to the custody of the Department of Commerce, 1 July 1919.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.