US Navy Photograph
USS Kearsarge at Portsmouth, NH in late 1864.
Built in 1861, the screw sloop USS Kearsarge was typical of the warships employed by the Union Navy to blockade Southern ports during the war. Displacing 1,550 tons and mounting two 11-inch guns, Kearsarge could sail, steam, or both depending on the conditions. The ship is best known for sinking the notorious Confederate raider Alabama off Cherbourg, France on June 19, 1864.