Description

USS POWHATAN SIDE WHEEL STEAMSHIP W/ SAILS

FULLY BUILT AND READY TO DISPLAY QUALITY SHIP MODEL

Dimension Approx.: 32″ (high) x 8″ (wide) x 28.5″ (high)
The model is already built, NOT a model ship kit

Among the great steam warships of the mid‑19th century, the USS Powhatan stood out as one of the U.S. Navy’s largest and most capable paddle‑wheel frigates. Built at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and launched in 1850, she embodied the transitional era when steam power and sail worked side by side, giving American naval forces unprecedented reach across the world’s oceans. At more than 253 feet long and displacing 3,765 tons, Powhatan was a formidable vessel — broad‑beamed, heavily armed, and driven by powerful engines that pushed her to nearly 11 knots.

Commissioned in 1852 under Captain William Mervine, Powhatan began her career with the Home Squadron, cruising between New York, Mexico, Cuba, and Florida. Her true historical moment came in 1853, when she joined the East India Squadron and became Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s flagship during his expedition to Japan. In 1854, she lay anchored in Tokyo Bay as the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed aboard a U.S. vessel, opening Japan to American trade. Four years later, she again played host to history when the U.S.–Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed aboard her decks. During this same period, she joined British forces in an anti‑piracy operation off Kowloon, demonstrating the Navy’s growing international presence.

When the Civil War erupted, Powhatan was serving in the Pacific. She quickly returned to American waters and joined the Gulf and South Atlantic Blockading Squadrons, enforcing the Union blockade and supporting major operations. Her most dramatic wartime service came during the assaults on Fort Fisher in late 1864 and early 1865, where her guns helped close the last major Confederate port on the Atlantic coast.

After the war, Powhatan continued to serve across multiple theaters. She joined the South Pacific Squadron under Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren, then later the North Atlantic Squadron, where acts of heroism aboard her earned three crewmen the Medal of Honor for lifesaving rescues between 1872 and 1878. In the 1880s, she cruised in Cuban waters, protecting American interests during a period of regional unrest.

After more than three decades of service, Powhatan was decommissioned in 1886, sold the following year, and scrapped shortly afterward. Though her paddle wheels and heavy Dahlgren guns are long gone, her legacy endures. She is remembered as a versatile steam frigate that served in diplomacy, anti‑piracy operations, Civil War combat, and global patrols — and as the flagship that carried Commodore Perry into Japan, helping reshape the course of world history.