The USS Resolute was a wooden, screw-driven steamer built in 1860 at Keyport, New Jersey. Acquired by the Union Navy on May 7, 1861, and commissioned shortly thereafter on May 12 under Acting Master William Budd, she served primarily as a gunboat within the Potomac Flotilla during the American Civil War. Her design as a tug indicates a sturdy, maneuverable vessel suited for riverine and coastal operations. During her service, Resolute actively participated in various combat and patrol missions along the Virginia coast and the Potomac River. She first saw action on May 29, 1861, in conjunction with other Union ships and landing parties against Confederate shore batteries at Aquia Creek, Virginia. Notably, she captured and burned the schooner Somerset in Breton Bay on June 8, 1861. Resolute also demonstrated her versatility by sweeping for and successfully removing two Confederate moored mines at the mouth of the Potomac River on July 7, 1861, among the earliest uses of mines in the Civil War. Throughout her patrols, Resolute captured multiple vessels, including the schooner Jones in August 1862 and the sloop Capitola in November 1862. She engaged in various inshore operations, often under fire from Confederate batteries, such as her action at Mathias Point in July 1863 to protect unloading operations. She also performed patrol duties across St. Inigoes Creek, St. Mary's River, St. George's Creek, and the Rappahannock River into 1864. From August to October 1864, Resolute served as a ship's tender to the coast defense monitor USS Roanoke off Point Lookout, Maryland. After a major overhaul at the Washington Navy Yard from October 1864 to January 1865, she resumed patrol duties in the Potomac area until the end of the war. Decommissioned on May 26, 1865, she was sold shortly after, on June 24, 1865, and continued service as a merchant vessel until being abandoned in 1899. Resolute's service exemplifies the vital role of versatile, riverine steamers in Civil War naval operations, particularly in blockade enforcement and coastal defense.

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