USS Patroon (1859)

USS Patroon (1859) was a steamer acquired 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.

Constructed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1861
Patroon, a wooden screw steamer built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1859, was purchased by the Navy 28 October 1861 at Trenton, New Jersey, from R.T. Loper; and commissioned at New York Navy Yard 18 March 1862, acting Master Edward McKeige in command.

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade
Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Patroon was stationed off the St. Johns River early in May 1862, and she spent most of her naval career operating along the Florida coast, enforcing the blockade, silencing Confederate coastal artillery, and gathering intelligence about Southern defenses.

Patroon successfully duels with batteries at St. John's Bluff
The highlight of her service came 11 September, when, with USS Uncas (1843), she dueled with Confederate batteries at St. John's Bluff, Florida. Although Uncas was damaged, the Union ships forced their adversaries to abandon their positions and retire inland out of range.

A leaky ship, Patroon was sent north for decommissioning
However, from the first, leaking and a variety of other problems limited Patroon's effectiveness, and she was soon ordered north. Decommissioned 18 November 1862, the steamer was sold at public auction at Philadelphia 30 December 1862.

Patroon purchased by the Union Army
She was subsequently purchased by the Union Army 8 December 1863.