USS Pilgrim (1864a)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Pilgrim.

History
United States
Name:	USS Pilgrim
Namesake:	A pilgrim is one who journeys in foreign lands, especially to visit a shrine or holy place. The English colonists who founded Plymouth Colony, the first permanent settlement in New England, in 1620 were called pilgrims; see Pilgrim (Plymouth Colony).
Builder:	Pusey and Jones Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, Delaware
Launched:	1 November 1864
Acquired:	2 March 1865
Commissioned:	4 May 1870
Decommissioned:	29 July 1871
Struck:	1 January 1889
Fate:	Sold 25 March 1891
General characteristics
Type:	Tug
Tonnage:	170 gross tons
Draft:	6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsion:	Steam engine
Speed:	12 knots

The second USS Pilgrim was a United States Navy tug in commission from 1870 to 1871 which may also have seen non-commissioned service in other years.

Pilgrim was an iron--hulled, steam screw tug built by the Pusey and Jones Shipbuilding Company at Wilmington, Delaware. Launched on 1 November 1864, she was delivered to the U.S. Navy on 2 March 1865.

Few records of Pilgrim's Navy service have been found. She was not ready for service until sometime after the American Civil War ended in April 1865, but no information about her service exists until she was commissioned at Key West, Florida, on 4 May 1870. She then operated primarily in the Florida Keys until the spring of 1871, when she steamed to New Orleans, Louisiana. In July 1871 she proceeded to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was decommissioned on 29 July 1871.

Pilgrim remained on the Naval Vessel Register until 1889, but no records have been found describing any service she may have had. It is possible that she saw non-commissioned service during at least part of this time, or that she remained inactive.

Pilgrim was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 January 1889 and was sold on 25 March 1891.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.