The USS Aries was an iron-hulled screw steamer built in Sunderland, England, during 1861–1862, with a displacement of approximately 820 tons. Designed initially as a blockade runner during the American Civil War, she was constructed at James Laing’s Deptford yard and completed in 1862. Early in her career, Aries was sold to a London-based merchant and later resold to a Cuban firm, V. Malga & Cie, by 1863. Her primary purpose as a blockade runner was to transport cotton and other contraband from Southern ports such as Wilmington and Charleston, with records indicating she carried up to 740 tons of cotton during late 1862 to early 1863. Her capture occurred on the night of 28 March 1863, off Bull's Bay, South Carolina, when the Union screw gunboat Stettin chased her attempting to evade blockade forces. Aries ran ashore on Petrel Bank but was later floated free during the rising tide. She was taken as a prize to Port Royal, South Carolina, and subsequently condemned and purchased by the Union Navy on 20 May 1863. Upon commissioning, she was assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, supporting Union operations along the Southern coast. Throughout her service, USS Aries participated in numerous blockade actions, including capturing and destroying Confederate blockade runners like Ceres and Antonio, and engaging in chase and combat with other vessels attempting to run the Union blockade. Notably, she played a role in the operations against Fort Fisher in late 1864 and early 1865, supporting troop landings and shelling Confederate defenses, contributing to the Union victory that sealed Wilmington and cut off Southern ports. After the war, Aries was sold in 1865 and transitioned to merchant service under her original name. She carried freight along the U.S. East Coast for nearly five decades before being scrapped in 1908. Her long post-war career underscores her maritime significance as a versatile vessel that served both wartime and commercial purposes for nearly half a century.

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