USS Zouave

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Ship Information (from DANFS)¹,²:

Name: USS Zouave	Type: Screw Tug	Tonnage: 127
Length: Not Listed.	Beam: Not Listed.	Draught: Loaded: 9’, Light: 8’
Speed: Max: 14 knots, Avg.: 10 knots	Complement: Not Listed.	Class: Not Listed.
Armament: October 20, 1863: 2 30-pounder  Parrott rifles
Namesake: The Navy retained the name that this vessel carried at the time of her acquisition.

Images:

Image Needed (Does One Exist?)

 

Captain(s):
Acting Ensign Jacob L. Hayes
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Captain 2
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Captain 3
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First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

• Captain:
• Crew Strength:
• Armament:

Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

• Captain:
• Crew Strength:
• Armament:

Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864): Fourth Division (James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (July 31, 1864)³

• Captain:
• Crew Strength:
• Armament:
• Note: On July 31, 1864, this ship is noted as “ordered to Beaufort, N. C.”⁴

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864): Fourth Division (James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (August 17, 1864)⁵

• Captain:
• Crew Strength:
• Armament:
• Note: Zouave was ordered to the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs on August 4, 1864.⁶,⁷
• Note: On August 17, 1864, this ship is noted as “repairing at Norfolk.”⁸

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864): Norfolk Navy Yard, Va. (repairing) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (September 1 & 16 and October 1, 1864)⁹,¹⁰,¹¹

• Captain:
• Crew Strength:
• Armament:

• Note: On September 1, 1864, this ship is noted as “repairing, Aug. 4, 1864.”¹²
• Note: On September 16 and October 1, 1864, this ship is noted as “Second Division, repairing.”¹³,¹⁴

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

• Captain:
• Crew Strength:
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Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

Norfolk Navy Yard, Va. (repairing) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1, 1864)¹⁵

Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (December 5, 1864)¹⁶

Norfolk, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (December 15, 1864)¹⁷

• Captain:
  • Acting Ensign Jacob L. Hayes (November 1, 1864)¹⁸
  • Not listed. (December 5, 1864)¹⁹
  • Not Listed. (December 15, 1864)²⁰
• Crew Strength:
• Armament: 2 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)²¹
• Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.²²
• Note: Zouave was deployed in the James River from early December 1864 until the war’s end.²³

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

Norfolk, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)²⁴,²⁵,²⁶

James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 15, 1865)²⁷

Norfolk Navy Yard, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 25, 1865)²⁸

• Captain:
  • Not Listed. (January 1, 1865)²⁹
  • Acting Ensign Jacob L. Hayes (January 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)³⁰,³¹,³²
• Crew Strength:
• Armament: 2 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)³³,³⁴,³⁵,³⁶
• Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.³⁷,³⁸,³⁹,⁴⁰
• Note: Zouave was deployed in the James River from early December 1864 until the war’s end.⁴¹

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18, 1865)⁴²

Norfolk Navy Yard, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (April 1 & 15, 1865)⁴³,⁴⁴

• Captain: Acting Ensign Jacob L. Hayes (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)⁴⁵,⁴⁶,⁴⁷
• Crew Strength:
• Armament: 2 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)⁴⁸,⁴⁹,⁵⁰
• Note: On March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Screw Class” vessel.⁵¹,⁵²,⁵³
• Note: Zouave was deployed in the James River from early December 1864 until the war’s end.⁵⁴

 

Siege of Petersburg Battles:

• TBD

 

Siege of Petersburg Involvement:⁵⁵

Zouave, a screw steamer built in 1861 at Albany, N.Y., was purchased by the Navy on 20 December 1861 at New York City and soon therafter was delivered to the Navy at Hampton Roads, Va., for duty in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. On 1 February 1862, she was placed in commission, Acting Master Henry Reaney in command, and assigned the tasks of patrolling the mouth of the James River at night and serving as a tender for frigates Congress and Cumberland during daylight hours…

[SOPO Editor’s Note: A lengthy discussion of the ship’s duty in the early part of the war is omitted here.]

Zouave steamed to Baltimore for repairs in May 1863.

Zouave deteriorated steadily during the remaining two years of the war. On 29 February 1864, she was detailed to Atlanta to guard against possible attacks by Confederate torpedo boats. In April 1864, Zouave sailed to Baltimore for repairs. She soon returned to Hampton Roads, only to be ordered to the Norfolk Navy Yard for more repairs on 4 August 1864. Zouave remained in the yard through early December 1864, then was deployed in the James River until the war’s end. After a final round of repairs at Norfolk, the tug proceeded to the New York Navy Yard on 1 June 1865.

Zouave was decommissioned at New York on 14 June 1865 and was sold at public auction there to M. O. Roberts on 12 July 1865.

 

Bibliography:

Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

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