USS Mississippi: Ship of the Manifest Destiny

Presented by John V. Quarstein, director emeritus, USS Monitor Center

The first ocean-going paddler, this US Navy steamer launched May 5, 1841, and served under the command of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry during the siege of Veracruz in the Mexican-American War. Perry took Mississippi to Japan to “open” that country to American trade. The ship also served in the East India Squadron during the 2nd Opium War. Assigned to the Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron, Mississippi captured Key West, Florida, and then served during Admiral D. G. Farragut’s capture of New Orleans. The steamer Mississippi is credited with being the first wooden warship to sink an ironclad. It was lost when it ran aground on March 14, 1863, at Port Hudson, Louisiana.
Image credit:
USS Mississippi, ca. 1863. Source: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/findai...

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