U.S. Storeship Relief 



Built in 1836 by Philadelphia Navy Yard especially for the U.S. 

 Exploring Expedition (1838 - 1842). Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, 

 leader of the expedition, ordered the Relief home in 1839 from 

 Callao, Peru since he felt her slowness retarded all his operations 

 and made her a constant source of anxiety. She sailed for home 

 after being "smoked" to destroy the rats with which she was 



infested and having taken aboard, as Wilkes described them, "all 

 invalids and idlers". After calling at Honolulu and Sydney she 

 arrived in New York in March 1840. The following years were 

 spent on routine service and in 1878 she was laid-up at 

 Washington Navy Yard until her sale in 1883. 

 Length: 109' Displacement: 468 tons 



U.S. Brig Washington 



A 94-foot schooner built in 1837 for the U.S. Revenue Cutter 

 Service. Re-rigged the following year as a brig, she spent the 

 winter months as a Revenue Cutter and the summer months as a 

 survey ship for the Coast Survey. From 1840 to 1852 she served 



exclusively as a Coast Survey brig. Returned to the Revenue 

 Cutter Service in 1852, she was seized by the authorities at New 

 Orleans when Louisiana seceded on 31 .lanuary 1861 and saw 

 service as the Confederate States Ship Washington. 



37 



