Pre-Civil War Service
Wabash—the first U.S. Navy ship to bear that name—was laid down on 16 May 1854 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched on 24 October 1855, sponsored by Miss Pennsylvania Grice; and commissioned there on 18 August 1856, Captain Frederick K. Engle in command.
Wabash departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 7 September 1856, stopping at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to embark President Franklin Pierce for passage to Annapolis, Maryland. She arrived at New York on 23 October 1856, sailing on 28 November 1856 to become flagship of Commodore Hiram Paulding's Home Squadron. The squadron was instrumental in foiling the expedition against Nicaragua underway by American filibuster, William Walker, who had dreamed of uniting the nations of Central America into a vast military empire led by himself. Through insurrection, he became president of Nicaragua in 1855 only to have Cornelius Vanderbilt—who controlled the country's shipping lifelines—shut off supplies and aid. A revolt toppled Walker from power, and he was trying for a military comeback before he was captured in 1857 by the Home Squadron. Stateside controversy over the questionable legality of seizing American nationals in foreign, neutral lands prompted President James Buchanan to relieve Commodore Paulding of his command. Wabash was decommissioned on 1 March 1858 at the New York Navy Yard.
Read more about this topic: USS Wabash (1855)
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