USS O. M. Pettit (1857)

USS O. M. Pettit (1857) was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as a tugboat to service Union Navy ships blockading ports of the Confederate States of America.

Oliver M. Pettit, a wooden side wheel steamer built in 1857 at Williamsburg, New York, was purchased by the Navy at New York City 17 August 1861, and commissioned at New York Navy Yard 4 October 1861, as O. M. Pettit, Acting Master A. S. Gardner in command.

Assigned to serve with the South Atlantic Blockade
After serving as a tug at the New York Navy Yard, the side-wheeler joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron early in 1862, and performed similar services at Port Royal, South Carolina.

Post-war decommissioning, sale and civilian career
After the Civil War, O. M. Pettit was sold at Bay Point, South Carolina, 2 September 1865 to J. W. Walcott, and was abandoned in 1879.