From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Vol. III, 1968, Navy  

Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History  

Division, Washington, D.C. 

 

HONEYSUCKLE 

 

ScStr: 

t. 241; 

l. 123'; 

b. 20' 2"; 

dph. 10'; 

s. 12 k.; 

a. 2 20-pdr. 

 

HONEYSUCKLE, a wooden screw steamer, was built as WLLIAM G FARGO in 1862 

at Buffalo, N.Y., and was purchased 19 August 1863 at New York from her 

owner, Frank Perew. Renamed HONEYSUCKLE, she commissioned at New York 

Navy Yard 3 December 1863, Acting Ensign Cyrus Sears commanding. 

 

Intended for use as a tug and offshore blockader, HONEYSUCKLE departed 

New York 24 December 1863 and sailed by way of Hampton Roads and 

Charleston to Key West, arriving about 8 .January 1864. There she was 

assigned a blockading station in the Gulf of Mexico west of the Florida 

coast as part of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. In the next few 

months the ship was very active tightening the noose of the blockade. 

She captured FLY 11 January, FLORIDA 20 March, and MIRIAM 27 April 1864. 

 

Early in May HONEYSUCKLE served as a dispatch vessel at Key West and 

during the next 2 months was hit by an epidemic of yellow fever among 

the crew. In August she became a supply vessel, making one notable trip 

to Indian River with medical supplies for J. S. CHAMBERS, a ship 

stricken with fever. HONEYSUCKLE continued to act as a supply vessel and 

tug until December 1864, when she was reassigned to active blockade duty 

after a repair period at Key West. Taking up station off Cedar Keys, she 

captured three more blockade runners in early 1865: AUGUSTA, 17 January; 

SORT 28 February; and PHANTOM 2 March. 

 

HONEYSUCKLE sailed to Tampa at war's end, and thence to New York where 

she decommissioned 30 June 1865. Sold to a private buyer, she became 

merchant ship HONEYSUCKLE late in 1866 and remained active until 1900.