The USS Adela was a swift, iron-hulled sidewheel steamer that served as a Union Navy gunboat during the American Civil War. Originally operated as a merchant vessel out of Belfast, Ireland, Adela was purchased in spring 1862 by an unidentified agent intending to use her as a blockade runner carrying contraband and arms through the Union blockade to the Confederacy. She traveled ballast via Glasgow to Liverpool in May and then sailed to Nassau in the Bahamas, aiming to load ordnance for Confederate forces. On July 7, 1862, her attempt to evade Union blockaders was thwarted northwest of Great Abaco Island, after a fierce chase and multiple warning shots from USS Quaker City, ultimately leading to her being captured and brought to Key West, Florida, where she was turned over to the Admiralty court. Despite protests from British authorities, who demanded her release due to her status as a British vessel and the removal and destruction of her mail, the Union condemned her. The Navy purchased her on May 23, 1863, and converted her for service as a gunboat. Her active service began by June 13, 1863, when she departed New York to join the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. Throughout her service, she participated in various operations, including patrolling Confederate waterways, boarding vessels to enforce the blockade, and engaging in attack missions. Notably, Adela took part in a daring raid at Tampa Bay, Florida, in October 1863, where she and USS Tahoma bombarded Confederate batteries, then covertly landed sailors to destroy two blockade runners, Scottish Chief and Kate Dale, in the Hillsborough River. During this mission, the crew faced combat with Confederate forces, suffering casualties, and capturing prisoners. She also engaged in efforts to thwart Confederate raider Lt. Charles William Read, participating in patrols and capturing vessels like the Confederate schooner Badger. Later, she was stationed near St. George's Sound, Apalachicola, and St. Marks, Florida, conducting patrols and capturing enemy vessels until she returned to New York in early 1865. Her service was characterized by active participation in blockade enforcement, raiding, and reconnaissance operations, playing a notable role in the Union's naval efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. She was sold at auction in November 1865, and her subsequent fate remains uncertain.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.