USS Vincennes (1826)

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USS Vincennes was a Boston-class sloop-of-war in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1865. Built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, she was laid down in 1825, launched on April 27, 1826, and commissioned on August 27, 1826. The ship was named after Vincennes, Indiana.

First circumnavigation and early voyages
- Vincennes set sail for the Pacific in September 1826, becoming the first U.S. warship to circumnavigate the globe. Under Commander William B. Finch, she visited the Hawaiian Islands in 1829 and reached Macau in 1830, returning by China, the Philippines, the Indian Ocean, and the Cape of Good Hope. She arrived back in New York in June 1830 and was decommissioned two days later.
- After repairs, Vincennes served in the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico (1831–32). She faced yellow fever and was decommissioned again in 1833, then launched a second Pacific deployment in 1833, becoming the first American warship to call at Guam. She completed another global voyage by returning to the U.S. East Coast in June 1836 and was decommissioned for remodeling.

Antarctic expedition and explorations
- Refit with a light spar deck, Vincennes became the flagship of the South Sea Surveying and Exploring Expedition to the Antarctic, commanded by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. The expedition sailed from Hampton Roads in August 1838, surveyed the South American coast, and conducted early Antarctic work in 1839–1840.
- In late 1839 Vincennes arrived in Sydney, Australia, for a pioneering cruise to Antarctica. She operated along the Antarctic coast in early 1840 (the Wilkes Land region is named from this expedition). The voyage also charted areas of the South Pacific, Hawaii, the Columbia River area, Puget Sound, California, Wake Island, the Philippines, and South Africa, finishing back in New York in June 1842.

Mid-19th century explorations and diplomacy
- Vincennes rejoined the Home Squadron and operated off the Mexican coast until 1844, helping to deter any Mexican attempt to invade the Republic of Texas and rescuing two grounded brigs off the Texas coast.
- In 1845 she headed for the Far East with the Columbus, aiming to press the first official contact with Japan. They reached Macau, but negotiations in Japan were not successful. Vincennes stayed on the China Station and returned to New York on April 1, 1847, being decommissioned shortly after.
- Recommissioned in 1849, Vincennes sailed to the west coast of South America. She sheltered an Ecuadorian leader during civil disturbances in 1850 and then moved to California during the Gold Rush, where many crew members joined the lure of gold. She visited Puget Sound in 1851 and returned to New York in 1852.

Second exploratory voyage and later service
- In 1853 Vincennes began her second exploratory expedition as the flagship for Commander Cadwalader Ringgold. The squadron charted the China Sea, the North Pacific, and the Bering Strait, then surveyed the Bonin and Ladrone Islands, the Ryukyus, Japan, Kurils, and other areas. Perry later took command for medical reasons, and the voyage continued, returning to San Francisco in 1856 after a second round-the-world trip.
- She served with the African Squadron from 1857 to 1860.

Civil War service and final fate
- When the Civil War began, Vincennes was recommissioned on June 29, 1861, and assigned to the Gulf Blockading Squadron. She took part in blockading duties off Fort Pickens, Florida, and at Head of Passes on the Mississippi River.
- In October 1861, Confederate forces attacked Vincennes and forced her aground at the Head of Passes to prevent capture. Her crew saved the ship by delaying explosion of the magazine and refloating her after the attackers withdrew.
- Vincennes continued blockade work off the Mississippi coast, capturing the British bark Empress with a cargo of coffee in November 1861. She operated from Pensacola to Mobile and later guarded Ship Island, making several small captures and patrols.
- The ship was laid up at the Boston Navy Yard on August 28, 1865, and sold at public auction on October 5, 1867 for about $5,000.

USS Vincennes completed an extraordinary career as a ship of exploration, diplomacy, and wartime blockade, helping to chart vast areas of the Pacific and the Antarctic while serving in the U.S. Navy for nearly four decades.