Saint Clair, originally built at Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania in 1862 as a commercial steamer, was converted in 1863 by the Navy into Federal tinclad gunboat number 19.

In Tennessee, she operated on the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers.  She was damaged by Confederate artillery on April 3, 1863, near Palmyra, but was towed to safety by another gunboat.  After service in Louisiana, she again patrolled the Tennessee River until the end of the war, and was decommissioned in July 1865.

Specifications of USS Saint Clair:

Displacement:  203 tons
Length: 156 feet
Beam: 32 feet
Draft: 2 feet 4 inches
Armament: 4 12-pounders

  Federal Warships

Last update:  December 6, 2001