Any of a genus of bristly-hairy herbs with showy red, yellow, or white flowers.
Poppy (Screw Tug), originally white oak steamer Addie Douglass, was purchased at Philadelphia 31 October 1863 from J. Alderdice; renamed Poppy; and commissioned 10 November 1863.
During the Civil War, Poppy served as a tender to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. On 25 November 1863 she was with ironclad Roanoke off Newport News. On 4 February 1864 she was in Hampton Roads. By 17 March she was back off Newport News, again serving as a picket guard for ironclad Roanoke. On the night of 8 April a small boat succeeded in attacking frigate Minnesota, flagship of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, with a torpedo, making a clean escape. Poppy was ordered to ram the intruder, but was unable to do so because her steam was not up.
Poppy was then used as mail and supply tug until 17 June when she was stationed in the James River above Wilson's Wharf as a tender and ram to ironclads. Late in the year she became a tug in Hampton Roads and operated there and in the James River, becoming an ordnance tug at Norfolk in April 1865.
She was sold at New York 30 November 1865 to William Farrington.
