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The bark J. C. Kuhn circa 1860
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Class:        PURVEYOR (ex J. C. KUHN)
Design:        Sail (bark)
Displacement (tons):        888 (tonnage)
Dimensions (feet):        153.0' x 35.5' x 13.4'
Original Armament:        2-32pdr (1861)
Later armaments:        6-32pdr (1864)
Complement:        61
Speed (kts.):        --
Propulsion (HP):        N/A
Machinery:        Sail, bark rig

Construction:
AF Name Acq. Builder Keel Launch Commiss.
-- PURVEYOR (ex J. C. KUHN) 6 Jul 61 Gildersleeve -- 1859 23 Aug 61

Disposition:
AF Name Decomm. Strike Disposal Fate MA Sale
-- PURVEYOR (ex J. C. KUHN) 29 Apr 69 -- 7 Jul 69 Sold --

Class Notes:
The bark-rigged sailing vessel J. C. KUHN was built by the Gildersleeve Ship Construction Co. at Portland, Conn., in 1859. She was purchased on 6 July 1861 at New York from J. H. Bower & Co. for $32,000. She was commissioned at New York on 23 August 1861 and was ordered to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, where after delivering a cargo of coal, lumber, and whaleboats she was used during the fall on blockade duty off the mouth of the Mississippi River. She was then employed in carrying coal, water, and lumber to the vessels of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron from the base at Pensacola, Fla., and arrived below Vicksburg on 27 June 1862 with coal for Farragut's fleet a day before this force passed the batteries there. She remained below Vicksburg supporting Cdr. Porter's mortar flotilla while Farragut operated above Vicksburg until his ships again passed the batteries to rejoin Porter on 15 July 1862. She then resumed her role of transporting supplies from Pensacola to ships operating along the Gulf Coast. In the spring of 1864 J. C. KUHN was ordered to Pensacola for duty as ordnance and store ship there and she continued this service until sailing for New York on 20 January 1866. She arrived there on 14 February 1866, discharged her ordnance stores, and was placed in dry dock at the Navy Yard for repairs.

The repaired J. C. KUHN stood down to the Battery on 7 April 1866, and three days later she was renamed PURVEYOR. In 1866 she carried a cargo of stores to St. Paul de Loanda (Luanda), Angola, for the European and South Atlantic Squadrons. She was out of commission for repairs at New York, probably between 17 October 1866 to 16 March 1867, and was then assigned to special service as a store ship, broken by a second period out of commission at New York, probably from 19 August 1867 to 11 January 1868. Her last deck log ends on 29 April 1869, her probable decommissioning date. PURVEYOR was sold at New York on 7 July 1869 to P. H. Fay for $8,038.41.

Ship Notes:
AF Name Notes
-- PURVEYOR (ex J. C. KUHN) Ex merc. J. C. KUHN. Renamed PURVEYOR 10 Apr 66. Sold 7 Jul 69.

Page Notes:
AF        1861
Compiled:        06 Jul 2013
© Stephen S. Roberts, 2002-2013