The USS Passaic-- Part 1: 'The Fightingest Ship in Mr. Lincoln's Navy'

From the Passaic County Historical Society "USS Passaic"  by Alfred P. Cappio.

The monitor USS Paissaic was commanded by Edward Simpson in the 1863 attack on Charleston and Fort Sumter.

The USS Passaic was named after the Passaic River in New Jersey.

"It is doubtful that any other ship in the Union Navy fought in more actions, fired more shells at enemy fortifications, or was hit more often by enemy fire than  the Passaic.  Truly this ship might well be called "The Fightingest Ship in Mr. Lincoln's Navy."

After the success of the USS Monitor, nine more monitors were ordered from John Ericsson at his Greenpoint (now Brooklyn) shipyard. The first to be completed was the USS Passaic, launched on August  30th and commissioned  at the New York Navy Yard on November 25, 1862.

Two days later, under the command of Captain Percival Drayton, she sailed to join the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron under  Admiral DuPont at Port Royal, South Carolina.

--Old B-Runner