C. P. Williams (Mortar Schooner)
1862-1865
The Navy retained the name carried by this vessel at the time of her acquisition.
(Mortar schooner: tonnage 210; length 103'8"; beam 28'3"; depth of hold 8'2"; speed 10 knots; complement 35; armament 1 13-inch mortar, 2 32-pounders)
C. P. Williams was purchased by the Navy Department at New York, N.Y., on 2 September 1861; fitted out as a mortar schooner; commissioned on 21 January 1862, Acting Master Amos R. Langthorne in command; and reported to the Mortar Flotilla on the Mississippi River.
Between 13 March and 17 July 1862, C. P. Williams cruised the lower Mississippi. She joined in the bombardments of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, La., between 18 and 23 April, and Vicksburg, Miss., from 27 June to 3 July. She also blockaded Berwick Bay.
C. P. Williams sailed north on 17 July 1862 for repairs at Baltimore, Md., during September and October. On 9 November, she joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Port Royal, S.C. During the remainder of the war, she patrolled the rivers and sounds of the area, fired in the bombardments of forts, covered landing parties, and engaged detachments of Confederate cavalry ashore.
On 9 June 1865, C. P. Williams cleared Charleston, S.C., for Philadelphia, Pa., arriving there on the 19th. She was decommissioned on 27 June 1865 and sold 10 August 1865.
Updated, Robert J. Cressman
4 October 2021
