USS Unadilla, first of a class of twenty-three "90-day gunboats", was built at New York for Civil War service. Commissioned in September 1861 under the command of Lieutenant Napoleon Collins, she participated in the capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, in early November. For the next three years, Unadilla was mainly employed on Federal offensive and blockading operations in the coastal waters of South Carolina and Georgia. She participated in several actions and captured three blockade runners, two of which, Lodona and Princess Royal, were later taken into U.S. Navy service.

Transferred to North Carolina waters in November 1864, Unadilla was part of the fleet that assaulted Fort Fisher in December and captured it in January 1865. Following further operations directed against Wilmington, she went to the James River, Virginia, for her final Civil War service. Decommissioned in May 1865, Unadilla returned to active duty in December 1866 and made a long transit to the Far East. In 1867-68, she participated in efforts to supress piracy in Asian waters. Unadilla was sold in November 1869. Renamed Dang Wee, she was employed in merchant service until lost at Hong Kong in 1870.

This page features views related to USS Unadilla (1861-1869).

Photo #: NH 42352 USS Unadilla (1861-1869) Lithograph by Shearman & Hart, 1861. Courtesy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, April 1936.
Photo #: NH 59369 USS Unadilla (1861-1869) Engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", July-December 1861 volume. It depicts Unadilla under construction at the John Englis shipyard, New York, shortly before her launching on 17 August 1861.
Photo #: NH 59284 "Gun-Boats Entering Savannah River above Fort Pulaski" Engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", January-June 1862 volume, page 132. It depicts USS Pembina (left center) and USS Unadilla (right) engaging Confederate gunboats under Commodore Josiah Tattnall while entering the Savannah River, Georgia, to cut off Fort Pulaski, 22 February 1862.
Photo #: NH 42266 USS Unadilla (1861-1869) Crewmembers pose by the ship's Dahlgren XI-inch pivot gun, during the Civil War. Copied from Francis Trevelyan Miller's "The Photographic History of the Civil War" Volume 6, page 271.

The following images depict USS Unadilla as a small part of large groups of ships:

Photo #: NH 59367 "Our New Gun-boats" Engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", July-December 1861 volume. It depicts ten of the "90-Day Gunboats" constructed for the U.S. Navy in 1861-62. Ships, as identified below the image bottom, are (from left, all USS): Chippewa, Sciota, Itasca, Winona, Huron, Ottawa, Pembina, Seneca, Unadilla and Sagamore.
Photo #: NH 59315 "The Great Naval Expedition" to capture Port Royal, South Carolina, November 1861 Engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", July-December 1861 volume, pages 696-697. It depicts Federal warships and transports, under Flag Officer Samuel F. DuPont, USN, departing Hampton Roads, Virginia, en route to Port Royal. Ships, as identified below the image bottom, are (from left): (illegible), Oriental, Baltic, USS O.M. Pettit, USS Gem of the Sea, Great Republic, USS Wabash (DuPont's flagship), USS Seneca, USS Pembina, USS Connecticut, tug Mercury, USS Unadilla, USS Augusta, USS Alabama and (illegible).
Photo #: NH 1099 Bombardment and Capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, 7 November 1861 Engraving by W. Ridgway after a drawing by C. Parsons, published by Virtue & Co., New York. It depicts Federal warships, under Flag Officer Samuel F. DuPont, USN, bombarding Fort Beauregard (at left) and Fort Walker (at right). Troop transports are standing by in the distance. U.S. Navy ships present and identified include (from left): Mohican, Susquehanna, Augusta, Wabash (Flagship), Unadilla, Pawnee, Bienville, Ottawa, Curlew and Seneca.
Photo #: NH 59256 Bombardment and Capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, 7 November 1861 Engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", July-December 1861 volume, pages 760-761. It depicts Federal warships, under Flag Officer Samuel F. DuPont, USN, bombarding Fort Beauregard (at right) and Fort Walker (at left). The Confederate squadron commanded by Commodore Josiah Tattnall is in the left center distance. Subjects identified below the image bottom are (from left): tug Mercury, Fort Walker, USS Wabash (DuPont's flagship), Screamer (?), USS Susquehanna, CSS Huntsville, Commo. Tattnall, USS Bienville, USS Pembina, USS Seneca, USS Ottawa, USS Unadilla, USS Pawnee, USS Mohican, USS Isaac Smith, USS Curlew, USS Vandalia, USS Penguin, USS Pocahontas, USS Seminole, Fort Beauregard, USS R.B. Forbes and "Rebel Camp".
Photo #: NH 59170 "Second Attack upon Fort Fisher, showing the positions of the vessels, and the lines of fire", 13-15 January 1865 Chart by Walter A. Lane, published in "The Soldier in our Civil War", Volume II. The positions of 58 ships are represented on the chart. Online Image: 216KB; 825 x 1225 pixels