USS Lodona (1862)

USS Lodona (1862) was a large steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Lodona, a bark-rigged iron screw steamer, was built at Kingston-upon-Hull, England, in 1862 and owned by Z. C. Pearson, London. Captured by Union gunboat USS Unadilla (1861) while attempting to run the blockade in Ossawbaw Sound, South Carolina, 4 August 1862, the ship was taken to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under Lt. C. H. Greene for adjudication; condemned; and purchased by the Navy from the Philadelphia Prize Court 20 September 1862. Lodona commissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard 5 January 1863 with Acting Lieutenant Edmund R. Colhoun in command.

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade
Assigned to Rear Adm. Samuel F. DuPont’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Lodana departed Philadelphia 7 January 1863 for Port Royal, South Carolina, touching at Hampton Roads and Fort Monroe, Virginia, where she took in tow monitor USS Weehawken (1862), arriving Port Royal 5 February. The warship sailed 5 days later for Charleston, South Carolina, towing schooner E. W. Gardner, joining the blockade there the next day.

On the 19th, she headed for Bull’s Bay to take up blockading. Lodana remained on active blockade off the coast of South Carolina, at Bull’s Bay or Charleston, returning intermittently to Port Royal for supply or repairs through September. On 20 April, the steamer captured English brig Minnie out of Nassau, Bahamas, attempting to run the blockade in Bull’s Bay and sent her to Philadelphia.

Engaging the guns on Morris and Folly Islands
From 12 to 16 June, the warship’s batteries engaged the Confederate guns on Morris and Folly Islands in Charleston Harbor. Lodona next provided support in the attacks by ironclads on Morris Island and Fort Sumter 17 August; attacked Fort Wagner the next day, and, on the 20th, returned once again to Morris Island. She continued operations against the Charleston forts 8 and 9 September by sending boats in the attack on Fort Sumter, losing one boat and crew captured. The ship sailed north 10 September, arriving Philadelphia on the 16th. Lodona remained at Philadelphia Navy Yard overhauling until 11 November and then stood out for Charleston. At sea on the 15th, she captured schooner Arctic and sent the prize to Washington, D.C. The warship arrived Charleston 17 November, then proceeded to blockade duty in Sapelo Sound, Georgia. Arriving 20 November, she operated from there, capturing sloop Hope 10 July 1863, until sailing for Port Royal 20 April 1865 following news of Robert E. Lee’s surrender.

Post-war decommissioning and sale
The steamer put to sea 24 April for Philadelphia Navy Yard arriving 1 May 1865. She decommissioned there 11 May and was sold at public auction 20 June.