European voyage, 1848–1850 On 29 August, the
Navy Department, at the request of the
Prussian Minister to the United States, directed Paulding to "take on board a Mister H. W. Foster and rate him
Master's Mate." The German states, then striving to establish a German Federation, had recently become aware of the need for a German navy and had asked the United States for help in establishing and training a national fighting force afloat. The ship got underway on 8 September and headed eastward across the Atlantic. After touching at
Cowes, on the
Isle of Wight, the ship reached the mouth of the
Weser River on 7 October. The next day, she was towed to
Bremerhaven. She remained at that port for the next month and one-half while Capt. Paulding visited important cities in several German states to discuss with various leaders matters important to the establishment of the new navy. Before departing Bremerhaven,
St. Lawrence received on board four Prussian midshipmen for training, and they served on the frigate, learning the customs, discipline, and seamanship of the United States Navy. The frigate left the mouth of the Weser on 22 November and reached
Southampton, England, on 2 December. She was anchored at the port for more than a month while her officers and men exchanged courtesies with their English counterparts, building good will between the two nations. Early in January 1849, the ship sailed for Portugal and reached
Lisbon on the 12th. But for a visit to
Cadiz, Spain, from 5 February to 14 March, she remained at Lisbon until again sailing for England on 1 May. In July, she returned to Bremerhaven where Paulding discharged the German midshipmen on the 10th, since
Prussia was then at war with Denmark, the next country on the frigate's itinerary.
St. Lawrence got underway on the 19th and visited
Copenhagen until 2 August when she sailed for Sweden. She arrived at
Stockholm five days later and remained at that
Baltic port until the 16th. On her voyage back south, the frigate touched again at Copenhagen, and spent much of the autumn at Bremerhaven before heading for the Mediterranean. She reached
Port Mahon, Minorca, in the
Balearics, on 3 December 1849. At that time, political conditions in Europe were still unstable in the aftermath of the revolutions which had shaken Europe in 1848; and the American naval force in the Mediterranean had been increased to its greatest strength since the
First Barbary War and the
Second Barbary War. During the protracted series of crises, it had been a source of stability in the area without offending any nation or faction. In the summer of 1850, when tension in Europe began to subside,
St. Lawrence was ordered to proceed once more to the Baltic for a short cruise before returning home. She touched at
Boston, Massachusetts on 1 November, reached New York on the 6th, and was decommissioned there on the 15th.
Voyage to England, 1851 Recommissioned on 5 February 1851, Commander
Joshua R. Sands in command, the frigate departed New York on the 20th, carrying to England the exhibits from the United States for
the Great Exhibition at London, the first modern
world's fair. On her return voyage from this interesting assignment, she gave the United States
chargé d'affaires in Portugal passage from Southampton to Lisbon. The ship reached New York on 11 August and decommissioned there a week later.
Pacific Squadron, 1851–1855 Recommissioned on 18 November 1851,
St. Lawrence sailed on 12 December for the Pacific. For the next three and one-half years, she cruised along the west coast of North and South America, from
Cape Horn to
Puget Sound, occasionally venturing as far west as the Sandwich (
Hawaiian) Islands. In 1853, she relieved as
flagship of the
Pacific Squadron and continued this duty until she relinquished her role as flagship to on 2 February 1855. She departed
Valparaíso five days later and arrived at
Hampton Roads on 21 April. She was decommissioned and placed in ordinary at
Norfolk, Virginia exactly a month later.
Brazil Squadron, 1856–1859 Recommissioned on 22 September 1856,
St. Lawrence sailed for the Atlantic coast of South America to become flagship of the
Brazil Squadron early the next year. Her service on the Brazil Station was enlivened late in 1858 by the
Paraguay expedition, although
St Lawrence herself did not go to Paraguay. The conclusion of the expedition freed
St. Lawrence to return home, and she was decommissioned at
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania on 25 May 1859.
American Civil War, 1861–1865 Still in ordinary at the outbreak of the
American Civil War,
St. Lawrence was hurriedly prepared for action and recommissioned on 21 June 1861, Capt.
Hugh Y. Purviance in command. She sailed for the
Confederate coast eight days later but was delayed in the lower
Delaware River by low tides until 8 July when she finally put to sea. After joining the
Atlantic Blockading Squadron upon her arrival at Hampton Roads, she headed further south on the 14th. Two days later, she captured the British
blockade runner,
Herald, off
Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. That vessel had escaped from
Beaufort, North Carolina, laden with naval stores and was bound for
Liverpool. Capt. Purviance sent the prize to Hampton Roads and continued his voyage south. On the 28th, a lookout on the frigate spotted a schooner flying British colors and gave chase. Some four hours later, as
St. Lawrence was overhauling the
schooner, the fleeing vessel ran up the Confederate flag and fired three shots at her pursuer. One passed through the frigate's "mainsail and took a splinter out of the main yard."
St. Lawrence answered with her forecastle battery and hit the chase twice, once in her bow. Survivors from the schooner, which sank half an hour later, revealed that their ship had been the
Confederate privateer,
Petrel, of
Charleston, South Carolina. Boats from
St. Lawrence rescued all but two of the privateer's 38 crewmen and sent them north in the steamer . The frigate proceeded south and blockaded off
Savannah, Georgia, until returning to Hampton Roads in September. However, after minor repairs and taking on provisions, she headed back to blockade duty off the
Georgia coast. On 19 October, when responsibility for blockading the Confederate Atlantic coast was divided in two,
St. Lawrence was assigned to the
South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. On 6 November, she captured British schooner,
Jenny Lee, of
Nassau, New Providence, laden with rice and tobacco from
Darien, Georgia, and headed for Nassau.
St. Lawrence continued blockade duty, operating along the coasts of Georgia and
South Carolina, until ordered north on 27 January 1862. After replenishing her ammunition, provisions and water at New York, the frigate sailed for the
Virginia Capes for service in the
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
Battle of Hampton Roads She reached Hampton Roads on 6 March and was on hand when Confederate ironclad,
Virginia, (formerly ) attacked Union warships there two days later. On that fateful afternoon, gunboat , came alongside, with word of the ram raid, and towed
St. Lawrence toward the scene of the action. As the two ships passed
Sewell's Point, Southern batteries there opened fire with shot and shell and made several hits, but did no serious damage. The two Union warships responded in kind. As they approached the battle scene, observers on the Union warships learned that had gone down, had surrendered, and had run hard aground. Then,
St. Lawrence herself grounded. While
Cambridge and tug, , were attempting to refloat the frigate,
Virginia opened fire from some 900 yards distance.
St. Lawrence replied with rapid fire, but her projectiles glanced harmlessly off the ironclad's greased armor. One 80 pound (36 kg) shell from
Virginia penetrated ''St. Lawrence's'' starboard quarter just above the water line and did considerable damage to her wardroom pantry and to the Assistant Surgeon's stateroom. Toward dusk,
Virginia retired, planning to resume the task of destroying the Union men-of-war after the return of daylight. About 2000,
St. Lawrence was again afloat; and she withdrew to the anchorage at
Fort Monroe. That night, arrived and took position near
Minnesota, still hard aground. The following day,
Virginia returned to Hampton Roads where she engaged
Monitor in a historic battle which, although inconclusive, revolutionized naval warfare. After the battle in Hampton Roads,
St. Lawrence served briefly in the
Potomac River to protect the
Federal capital from attack by sea. She returned to Hampton Roads late in April, but was reassigned to the
East Gulf Blockading Squadron.
St. Lawrence arrived at
Key West, Florida on the 23rd and was soon at sea again looking for blockade runners operating between
Cuba and the gulf coast. In July, she became flagship of the squadron, and she performed this duty until sailing north on 7 May 1863 because of a serious outbreak of yellow fever. The ship was decommissioned at
Portsmouth Navy Yard on 30 May 1863. Recommissioned on 5 August,
St. Lawrence sailed to Hampton Roads to become an ordnance ship for the
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. In 1865, she served as a store ship at Norfolk where she was decommissioned on 12 December.
Barracks ship, 1867–1875 In ordinary through 1866, the frigate was used as a
barracks ship for
marines at Norfolk from 1867 through 1875. On 31 December 1875, she was sold at Norfolk to
E. Stannard. ==See also==