The USS Advance, later known as USS Frolic, was a notable Civil War-era vessel with a complex service history rooted in its origins as a commercial packet steamer. Built in Greenock, Scotland, by Caird & Co., she was launched on July 3, 1862, as Lord Clyde, an iron-hulled vessel measuring approximately 237.5 feet in length with a beam of 26.1 feet and a draft of 11 feet. Powered by a 2-cylinder oscillating side-lever steam engine of 350 indicated horsepower, she featured two side paddle wheels, facilitating her role in the packet service between Ireland and Scotland. During the American Civil War, the vessel's strategic importance shifted when she was purchased by North Carolina in June 1863, renamed Advance, and converted into a blockade runner. She was armed with a 20-pounder rifle and four 24-pounder howitzers, making her a formidable opponent in clandestine operations. Under the command of Lt. John J. Guthrie, she successfully ran the Union blockade into Wilmington, North Carolina, approximately seventeen times between June 1863 and September 1864. Her activities were critical in supplying Confederate forces, although her eventual capture by USS Santiago de Cuba on September 10, 1864, marked the end of her blockade-running career. Condemned by a prize court, she was purchased by the Union Navy in October 1864, commissioned as USS Advance, and assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Her service included participation in the two attempts to seize Fort Fisher in late 1864 and early 1865, playing a supporting role in bombarding Confederate defenses and aiding troop landings. After the fall of Fort Fisher, she resumed blockade duty, serving as a dispatch and supply vessel until her decommissioning in March 1865. Renamed USS Frolic in April 1865, she embarked on a diplomatic and patrol mission in Europe with the European Squadron, visiting various ports and demonstrating American naval presence abroad. She continued her service with patrols along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in South America before being decommissioned for the final time in October 1877 and sold in 1883. The vessel's multifaceted role during and after the Civil War highlights her maritime significance as both a blockade runner and a naval auxiliary during a transformative period in U.S. naval history.

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