USS Nansemond (1862)

The USS Nansemond was a screw steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was employed primarily in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, tasked with intercepting Confederate blockade runners attempting to supply the Confederacy with goods from abroad.

Originally built in 1862 at Wilmington, Delaware, the vessel was purchased by the Navy in October of that year. She was commissioned shortly thereafter and assigned to blockade duty.

The Nansemond’s service mainly involved patrolling the waters off the coast of North Carolina. She participated in several engagements with Confederate vessels, though none were particularly decisive. Her primary contribution was the prevention of supplies reaching Confederate ports by intercepting blockade runners.

Following the end of the Civil War in 1865, the USS Nansemond was decommissioned and sold into private hands. Her subsequent career involved mercantile service. The exact date and circumstances of her eventual loss or decommissioning from civilian service are not widely documented. Her wartime service highlights the importance of naval blockade in the Union strategy for defeating the Confederacy.