View source for Onondaga (1863)

<div name=fredbot:career>{{ShipCareer|fullname=''Onondaga'' (1863)
|prefix= 
|name=Onondaga
|cat=Monitor
|chain=Ironclads
|type=monitor
|nat=FR
|order=26 May, 1862{{Conways1860|p. 121}}
|builder=[[Continental Iron Works]], Brooklyn{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}
|laid=1862{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
|launch=29 July, 1863{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
|purchased=7 March, 1867{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
|comp=Early 1864{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}
|comm=15 June, 1869{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
|decomm=
|strick=2 December, 1904{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}
|fatedate=1904 or 1905{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}<ref>Moreau (ed).  ''Revue universelle 1905''.  The pagination in this volume is eccentric, restarting several times.  The article relating to the ''Onondaga'' is on page 10 of the section with the header "La vie partout" under the heading "Échos militaires".</ref>
|fate=Sold
|fate2=Broken up
|pend=
|fg=white|bg=#0055A4}}</div name=fredbot:career>'''Onondaga''' was a [[Monitor|monitor]] completed for the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] in 1864 and subsequently purchased by [[French Navy|France]].

==Construction==
''Onondaga'' was part of the large ironclad construction program undertaken by the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] in the aftermath of the ''Monitor''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> famous victory over the ''Virginia'' at Hampton Roads.  She was contracted to George W. Quintard, manager of Manhattan's [[Morgan Iron Works]], on 26 May, 1862.  Morgan Iron Works built the ''Onondaga'''s machinery, but Quintard subcontracted her hull to the [[Continental Iron Works]] across the East River in Brooklyn.{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}

''Onandaga'' was launched on 29 July, 1863, after being christened by Sally Sedgwick, daughter of former U. S. Representative Charles Baldwin Sedgwick.  She was completed in early 1864.

==Service==
===U.S. Navy===
{{UsesDANFSText}}
''Onandaga'' commissioned at [[New York Navy Yard]] on 24 March, 1864 with {{CaptUS}} [[Melancthon Smith]] in command, and was immediately prepared for action.  She departed New York on 21 April in company with the gunboat ''Mattabesset'' for Hampton Roads, arriving two days later.  Once at Hampton Roads she joined the James River Flotilla supporting [[Ulysses S. Grant|General Grant]]'s drive on Richmond.  Alongside the {{US-Mahopac}} she engaged rebel batteries at Howlett's, Virginia on 24 November and again on 5-6 December.

The new year saw a reduction in the Federal naval force deployed on the James River as Admiral [[David Dixon Porter|David D. Porter]] prepared to assault Fort Fisher in North Carolina.  ''Onondaga'' was the only monitor left opposed to the Confederate States Navy's James River Squadron.  The Confederates took advantage of this redeployment to launch an attack with their own ironclads.

When the Southern force steamed down river to attack the weakened Union forces there afloat, ''Onondaga'' dropped downstream to a position affording her greater maneuverability.  She and her supporting gunboats awaited the Southern attack only to have the Confederate thrust blunted when their ironclads ''Virginia'' and ''Richmond'', gunboat ''Drewry'', and torpedo boat ''Scorpion'' all ran aground trying to pass obstructions at Trent's Reach.  ''Drewry'' blew up under fire from the ''Onondaga'' and supporting Union shore batteries, and the ''Scorpion'' was abandoned under similar heavy fire.  The two Rebel ironclads managed to withdraw upriver when they were refloated the next day.

''Onondaga'' continued her support of Union troops until the Confederates abandoned Richmond over the first three days of April 1865, followed soon by General Lee's surrender at Appomattox and the end of hostilities.  No longer needed in Virginia, she steamed north and decommissioned at New York on 8 June, 1865.  She was subsequently transferred to [[Philadelphia Navy Yard|League Island]] and laid up League Island, Pennsylvania.

===French Navy===
In expectation of her return to his ownership, George W. Quintard began negotiations to sell ''Onondaga'' to [[French Navy|France]], who were anxious to acquire her and the ironclad ram ''Dunderberg''.  These negotiations were carried out with some haste, as part of France's desire to purchase ''Onondaga'' was to prempt [[Imperial German Navy|Prussia]] from doing so.<ref>Loir.  ''Marine française''.  p. 240.</ref>{{DislereMarineCuirassee|p. 41}}  When ''Onondaga'' was sold back to George W. Quintard on 12 July, 1867 by Act of Congress he transferred the monitor to her French buyers.{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}  After purchase she was towed from New York to Halifax on 2 September 1867, and remained there until the summer of 1868.<ref>[http://dossiersmarine.free.fr/fs_b_B2.html la Flotte de Napoléon III - Gardes-côtes cuirassés].</ref>

''Onondaga'' left for France at the end of June 1868 accompanied by the transport [[Européen (1855)|''Européen'']], arriving at Cherbourg on 2 July after a sixteen day crossing from Halifax.  The poor seakeeping qualities inherent in the low-freeboard monitors meant the ''Européen'' had to tow the ''Onondaga'' for part of the crossing.<ref>Figuier.  p. 544.</ref><ref>Lepotier.  p. 284.</ref>  She ran trials in May 1869.<ref>[http://dossiersmarine.free.fr/fs_b_B2.html la Flotte de Napoléon III - Gardes-côtes cuirassés].</ref>

After the Franco-Prussian War the ''Onondaga'' was retained in reserve at Brest for many years.  Navy Minister [[Jean Marie Antoine Louis de Lanessan|Jean-Louis de Lanessan]] declared in his 1890 book that ''Onondaga'' and her fellow third-class coast defense ships [[Bélier (1870)|''Bélier'']] and [[Bouledogue (1872)|''Bouledogue'']] were "without any use" owing to their insufficient speed, protection, and armament.{{LanessanLaMarine1890|pp. 118-119.  "L'absence de vitesse, l'insuffisance de protection et d'armement font des trois derniers garde-côtes dont je viens de parler des engins san aucune utilité."}} 

''Onondaga'' was reactivated for trials in April 1898.  The timing was probably not coincidental as the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] was reactivating its own monitors for defensive duties in the oncoming [[Spanish-American War|war with Spain]].<ref>[http://dossiersmarine.free.fr/fs_b_B2.html la Flotte de Napoléon III - Gardes-côtes cuirassés].</ref>

''Onondaga'' was stricken on 2 December, 1904 and sold shortly afterwards.{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}<ref>Moreau (ed).  ''Revue universelle 1905''.  See above for specific location information.</ref>

==Captains==
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
<div name=fredbot:officeCapt otitle="Captain of ''Onondaga''">{{TenureListBegin|Captain of {{FR-Onandaga|f=p}}}}
{{TenureListEnd}}
</div name=fredbot:officeCapt>

==Armament==
===As Completed{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}===
* Two 15 inch smoothbores
* Two 150-pounder muzzle-loading rifles
===1869{{Conways1860|p. 299}}===
* Four 240 cm breech-loading rifles

==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/o/onondaga-i.html DANFS - Onondaga I (Monitor)]
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Onondaga_(1863)}}
{{refend}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{BauerRobertsRegister}}
* {{Conways1860}}
* {{DislereMarineCuirassee}}
* Figuier, Louis (1869).  ''Les Merveilles de la Science ou Description Populaire des Inventions Modernes''.  Paris: Furne, Jouvet et Cie.
* {{LanessanLaMarine1890}}
* Lepotier, Adolphe Auguste Marie (1972).  ''Cherbourg, port de la Libération''.  Cherbourg: Éditions France-Empire.
* Loir, [[Lieutenant de vaisseau]] Maurice (1893).  ''La marine française''.  Paris: Librairie Hachette et Cie.
* Moreau, Georges (ed.) (1905). ''Revue universelle: receil documentaire universel et illustré, année 1905''.  Paris: Librairie Larousse.
* {{RobertsIronclads}}
* {{RoppModernNavy}}
* {{SilverstoneCivilWar}}
{{refend}}

{{Footer Onondaga (1863)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Onondaga}}

{{CatClassIronclad|FR}}
{{CatShipIronclad|FR}}
{{CatClassMonitor|FR}}
{{CatShipMonitor|FR}}



<!-- data

nat=FR
cat=Monitor
type=monitor
prefix=

chain=Ironclads
sortdate=7 Mar 1867

{ship
name=Onondaga
builder=[[Continental Iron Works]], Brooklyn{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}
laid=1862{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
launch=29 July, 1863{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
purchased=7 March, 1867{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
comm=15 June, 1869{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}
decomm=
strick=2 December, 1904{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}
fatedate=''c.'' December 1904{{SilverstoneCivilWar|p. 5}}{{BauerRobertsRegister|p. 42}}
fate=Sold
fate2=Broken up
}


data -->