USS George Washington Parke Custis (1861)
USS George Washington Parke Curtis was a barge acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War for the purpose of using her as a balloon-launching platform in order to spy on Confederate defenses a long distance off.
This initial balloon experiment by John A. Dahlgren led to intensified balloon spying during the remainder of the war.
Read more about USS George Washington Parke Custis (1861): Conversion To Balloon Barge By John A. Dahlgren, Final Decommissioning
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