Miantonomoh (1865-1874)

USS Miantonomoh, a 3401-ton twin-turret monitor, was built at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Commissioned in September 1865, she served briefly with the North Atlantic Squadron along the U.S. east coast, then was inactive at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., until April 1866. After a short stay at New York, in early May Miantonomoh departed on a historic trans-Atlantic voyage, accompanied by USS Augusta and USS Ashuelot. Carrying Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus V. Fox for most of the trip, she arrived in Ireland in mid-June to begin nearly a year of visits to ports from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.

Miantonomoh was decommissioned at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in July 1867, soon after returning to the U.S. from Europe. She recommissioned in November 1869. In January 1870, she steamed north to meet the British ironclad Monarch and USS Plymouth, which were bringing the body of the great philanthropist George Peabody back to Massachusetts for burial. The monitor then operated along the U.S. Atlantic coast until July 1870, when she was laid up at the boston Navy Yard. During that period of active service, she was involved in two collisions, sinking the schooner Sarah at New York in December 1869 and the Navy tug Maria off Martha's Vinyard, Massachusetts, in January 1870. In 1874-75, as part of a program to "rebuild" Civil War era monitors into modern ones, her wooden hull was broken up and construction of a new iron-hulled ship, also named Miantonomoh, was begun at Chester, Pennsylvania, essentially retaining only the name of the original.

This page features, or provides links to, all the views we have related to USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874).

For other pictures related to USS Miantonomoh, see:

USS Miantonomoh -- European Cruise, 1866-1867; and

USS Miantonomoh -- Views On Board.

If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Photo #: NH 59544 USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874) Watercolor by Oscar Parkes. Courtesy of Dr. Oscar Parkes, London, England, 1936.
Photo #: NH 46258 USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874) 19th Century photograph of an artwork, showing the ship fitted for an ocean voyage, with single-mast sailing rig, raised bow bulwark and elevated pilothouses atop her turrets, circa 1870.
Photo #: NH 58936 Washington Navy Yard, D.C. Ships moored in the Anacostia River off the Yard's waterfront, after the end of the Civil War, about 1865. The large twin-turret monitor in the center is Miantonomoh, with the smaller monitor Montauk tied up alongside her, to the left. In the left distance are the "light draft" monitor Chimo and the twin-turret monitor Tonawanda. The former Confederate ironclad Stonewall is beyond them. In the right distance is the Yard's western shiphouse. Ship at right is probably USS Resaca. The original print is mounted on a carte de visite produced by Christimo, 45 Rua de Quitanda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Courtesy of Mrs. W.E. Taylor, 1941, from the collection of Medical Inspector William E. Taylor, USN.
Photo #: NH 86239 USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874) Moored off the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., in 1865-66. USS Montauk is tied up alongside, to the left. The Navy Yard's western shiphouse is visible in the right background. Photo mounted on a stereograph card. Courtesy of the Steamship Historical Society of America, 1952. Collection of Rosmar S. Devereaux. A stereo pair version of this image is available as Photo # NH 86239-A Online Image of stereo pair: 58KB; 675 x 375 pixels
Photo #: NH 85303-A Peabody Funeral Fleet, January 1870 Probably photographed at Portland, Maine. The most distant ship, in right center, is HMS Monarch, which carried the body of the late philanthropist George M. Peabody home to the United States for burial. Her escort, USS Plymouth, is next closest to the camera. The twin-turret monitor is probably USS Miantonomoh, which was detailed to meet the funeral ships when they arrived in U.S. waters. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation.
Photo #: NH 85968 USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874) Laid up and housed over at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1871-1872. A "light-draft" monitor, either USS Shawnee or USS Wassuc, is moored beside her. USS Sabine is refitting on the opposite side of the pier. Courtesy of Martin Holbrook, 1977.
Photo #: NH 100992 USS Shawnee (1865-1875) and *USS Wassuc* (1865-1875)** Laid up at the Boston Navy Yard, circa 1871-72. USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874) is at the extreme right, housed over. The original photograph is the left side of a stereograph pair. Courtesy of Louis H. Smaus, 1986. A stereo pair version of this image is available as Photo # NH 100992-A Online Image of stereo pair: 68KB; 675 x 355 pixels
Photo #: NH 46261 USS Miantonomoh (1865-1874) Being broken up at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1874. Partially visible at left is a "light-draft" monitor, either USS Shawnee or USS Wassuc.