The tradition of U.S. Navy warships dates back to the early years of American independence. During the Revolutionary era, the Continental Navy deployed around 27 warships, significantly fewer than the Royal Navy, which had about ten times that many. Despite these challenges, the Continental Navy achieved early successes in the war, playing a pivotal role in the eventual success and establishment of the United States.
To determine America’s first military warship and other significant warships of the time, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed former U.S. Navy warships from Military Factory. We ordered these warships based on when they entered U.S. military service from the earliest until the end of the Civil War. We included supplemental information regarding the type of warship, maximum speed, and crew size, all from Military Factory.
The USS Hannah is recognized as the inaugural armed vessel to set sail under the U.S. Continental Navy. It symbolized the beginning of a small fleet assembled by George Washington in the fall of 1775. Yet the service of the USS Hannah was brief, as the ship was intentionally grounded by the British ship Nautilus merely two months after it was commissioned.
The USS Bonhomme Richard, named after Benjamin Franklin’s pseudonym, was one of the first warships to serve in the U.S. Navy during the American Revolution. Led by John Paul Jones, later recognized as “The Father of the American Navy,” this converted merchant ship gained renown during its engagement with the British warship HMS Serapis in 1779 in what became known as the Battle of Flamborough Head.
A warship from the Civil War era, the USS Keokuk, saw perhaps the shortest service life of any U.S. naval vessel. Launched in 1862, it belonged to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and patrolled the South Carolina coast. In the April 1863 Union assault on Fort Sumter, the USS Keokuk faced intense Confederate gunfire, reportedly sustaining substantial damage from approximately 90 cannonballs. Consequently, the vessel met its untimely end off the coast of Charleston.
The ships on our list have undergone a substantial technological evolution throughout the years. The initial Navy warships were commonly wooden sailboats or converted merchant ships. However, by the conclusion of the Civil War, these ships were predominantly ironclad and equipped with steam-powered engines.
Currently, the U.S. Navy is one of the most powerful maritime forces worldwide, equipped with cutting-edge aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and advanced warships. The historical warships offer insight into the evolution of naval technology and strategy throughout the decades.
Here are the oldest American warships:
1. USS Hannah
- Year entered service: 1775
- Type: 4-Gun sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 13.8 mph
- Crew size: N/A
2. USS Alfred (1774)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1775
- Type: Man-of-war sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 11.5 mph
- Crew size: 220
3. USS Wasp (1775)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1775
- Type: 8-Gun schooner warship
- Maximum speed: 28.8 mph
- Crew size: 50
4. USS Raleigh
- Year entered service: 1776
- Type: 32-Gun sailing frigate warship
- Maximum speed: 9.2 mph
- Crew size: 180
5. USS Philadelphia
- Year entered service: 1776
- Type: Gundalow gunboat
- Maximum speed: 4.6 mph
- Crew size: 45
6. USS Bonhomm Richard
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1779
- Type: 42-Gun sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 13.8 mph
- Crew size: 375
7. USS America (1782)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1782
- Type: 74-Gun ship-of-the-line
- Maximum speed: 13.8 mph
- Crew size: 626
8. USS United States (1797)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1797
- Type: First-class heavy frigate sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 15 mph
- Crew size: 414
9. USS Constitution
Source: shananies / iStock via Getty Images
- Year entered service: 1797
- Type: Heavy frigate sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 15 mph
- Crew size: 450
10. USS Constellation (1797)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1797
- Type: 38-Gun frigate sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 15 mph
- Crew size: 340
11. USS Pennsylvania
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1837
- Type: Ship-of-the-line
- Maximum speed: 9.2 mph
- Crew size: 1100
12. USS Yorktown (1840)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1840
- Type: Sloop-of-war sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 15 mph
- Crew size: 150
13. USS Congress
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1842
- Type: Sailing frigate warship
- Maximum speed: 15 mph
- Crew size: 480
14. USS Powhatan (1852)
Source: exit78 / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1852
- Type: Sidewheel steam frigate warship
- Maximum speed: 12.7 mph
- Crew size: 290
15. USS Constellation (1855)
Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1855
- Type: Sloop-of-war sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 13.8 mph
- Crew size: 285
16. USS Wabash
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1856
- Type: Steam screw frigate warship
- Maximum speed: 10.4 mph
- Crew size: 642
17. USS Roanoke (1857)
Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1857
- Type: Steam-powered sailing frigate
- Maximum speed: 9.8 mph
- Crew size: 347
18. USS Hartford
Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1859
- Type: Sloop-of-war steam-and-sail warship
- Maximum speed: 15.5 mph
- Crew size: 310
19. USS Brooklyn
Source: 156515782@N02 / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1859
- Type: Sloop-of-war sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 13.8 mph
- Crew size: 335
20. USS Miami (1861)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1861
- Type: Sidewheel gunboat
- Maximum speed: 9.2 mph
- Crew size: 134
21. USS Albatross
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1861
- Type: Three-masted schooner gunboat
- Maximum speed: 12.7 mph
- Crew size: 150
22. USS Vermont (1848)
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: 74-Gun ship-of-the-line
- Maximum speed: 13.8 mph
- Crew size: 820
23. USS Planter
Source: exit78 / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Sidewheel steamer
- Maximum speed: 11.5 mph
- Crew size: 75
24. USS Mound City (1862)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Riverine ironclad gunboat
- Maximum speed: 10.4 mph
- Crew size: 250
25. USS Monitor (1862)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Ironclad gunboat
- Maximum speed: 6.9 mph
- Crew size: 59
26. USS Kearsarge (1862)
Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Sloop-of-war sailing warship
- Maximum speed: 12.7 mph
- Crew size: 335
27. USS Fort Jackson
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Sidewheel steamer warship
- Maximum speed: 16.1 mph
- Crew size: 55
28. USS Cairo (1861)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Ironclad gunboat
- Maximum speed: 4.6 mph
- Crew size: 250
29. USS Benton (1862)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1862
- Type: Ironclad river gunboat
- Maximum speed: 6.3 mph
- Crew size: 176
30. USS Oasge (1863)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1863
- Type: River monitor
- Maximum speed: 11.5 mph
- Crew size: 100
31. USS Keokuk
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1863
- Type: Casemate ironclad warship
- Maximum speed: 10.4 mph
- Crew size: 92
32. USS Lafayette (1863)
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Year entered service: 1863
- Type: Ironclad ram warship
- Maximum speed: 4.6 mph
- Crew size: 250
33. USS Miantonomoh (1865)
Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1865
- Type: Ironclad monitor
- Maximum speed: 8.1 mph
- Crew size: 150
34. USS Dunderberg
Source: national_museum_of_the_us_navy / Flickr
- Year entered service: 1865
- Type: Casemate ocean-going ironclad warship
- Maximum speed: 16.7 mph
- Crew size: 600
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