USS Essex (ex. New Era)
Built: 1856 Acquired: 1861 Commissioned: 15 October 1861 Tonnage: 355 tons Dimensions: 1862: 198.5' x 58' x 6.8' Machinery: Center wheel, (2) engines, (4) boilers; Speed: 5.5 knots Crew Complement: 134 to 251 men Armament: January 1862 total: Six Guns August 1862: Added Two Guns June 1863 total: 12 Guns 1864 Total: 12 Guns Armor: 3" casemates
SERVICE RECORD: Cumberland River Expedition, November 1861. Engagment with CSN vessels near Lucas Bend, Missouri, Mississippi River 11 January 1862. Boiler burst when struck by shell during attack on Fort Henry, Tennessee, 6 February 1862. Attack on CSS Arkansas at Vicksburg 22 July and again at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 5 August 1862. Bombardment of Port Hudson, Louisiana, 13 December 1862. Occupation of Baton Rouge, 17 December 1862. Bombardment of Port Hudson, 8 May — 9 July 1863. Bombardment at Whitehall Point, Louisiana, 10 July 1863. Red River Expedition, 12 March — 16 May 1864. Decommissioned 20 July 1865. Sold 29 November 1865. Later history: Merchant New Era 1865. Hull burned for scrap December 1870.