USS Niphon (1863)

USS Niphon (1863)

USS Niphon (1863) was a steam operated vessel acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Niphon, a wooden and iron screw steamer launched at Boston, Massachusetts, in February 1863, was delivered to the Navy at Boston 22 April 1863; commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 24 April 1863, Acting Ens. Joseph B. Breck in command; and was formally purchased 9 May 1863.