USS Primrose, a screw steamer tugboat originally named Nellie B. Vaughn, armed with a heavy rifled gun and a howitzer capable of dropping a 24 pound ball, was acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

Quick Facts History, United States ...

History
United States
Acquired	14 January 1863
Commissioned	26 February 1863
Decommissioned	1871
Fate	Sold, 17 March 1871
General characteristics
Displacement	94 tons
Length	83 ft (25 m)
Beam	17 ft (5.2 m)
Draft	7'
Depth of hold	9"
Propulsion	steam engine, screw
Armament	one 30-pounder rifled gun, one 24-pounder howitzer

Close

The tug Nellie B. Vaughn, a wooden screw steamer, was purchased on 14 January 1863, at Washington, D.C., and was renamed Primrose; fitted out at the Washington Navy Yard; and commissioned 26 February 1863, acting Master Street in command. Assigned to the Potomac Flotilla for duty in the Potomac River and adjacent waters, Primrose participated in operations in the Nansemond River in April and in the Curritoman in May. On 2 June, with USS Anacostia, she took the sloop Flying Cloud at Tapp's Creek, Virginia, then on the 20th captured the sloop Richard Vaux off Blakistone Island in the Potomac River. Laid up for repairs in February 1864, Primose returned to active duty in April, remaining with the Potomac River forces until 1866. Then assigned to the Washington Navy Yard, she remained active until 1871, when she was placed in ordinary. She was sold at Washington to J. W. Denty, 17 March 1871.

• Union Blockade

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