&sq=engine&lang=en&file=File:USS_Marmora_(1862-1865).jpg) Marmora in the foreground
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Marmora |
| Namesake | Variant spelling of Marmara, an island in the Sea of Marmara |
| Builder | William Latta |
| Completed | 1862 |
| Acquired | September 17, 1862 |
| Commissioned | October 21, 1862 |
| Decommissioned | July 7, 1865 |
| Fate | Sold, August 17, 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Sternwheel steamer |
| Tonnage | 207 tons |
| Length | 155 ft (47 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft 5 in (10.19 m) |
| Draft | 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m) |
| Propulsion | 2× steam engines |
| Speed | 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph) |
| Armament |
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USS Marmora was a sternwheel steamer that served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War. Built in 1862 at Monongahela, Pennsylvania, as a civilian vessel, she was purchased for military service on September 17 and converted into a tinclad warship. Commissioned on October 21, the vessel served on the Yazoo River beginning the next month. She encountered Confederate naval mines on the Yazoo on December 11, and was present the next day when the ironclad USS Cairo was sunk by two mines. After further service on the Yazoo during the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in late December, Marmora was assigned in January 1863 to a fleet that was preparing to operate against Confederate Fort Hindman, but was not present when the fort surrendered on January 11.
From February to April, Marmora participated in the Yazoo Pass expedition, and in June burned and destroyed the settlements of Eunice and Gaines Landing, Arkansas, after Union vessels were fired on by Confederate troops. In August, the tinclad participated in some activities on the White River while the Little Rock campaign was beginning, and patrolled on the Mississippi River late that year. In February 1864, she participated in another movement up the Yazoo River, and fought in the Battle of Yazoo City on March 5. Continuing to serve on the Mississippi River, Marmora was declared surplus in May 1865 and was put in reserve status at Mound City, Illinois, the next month. On July 7, she was decommissioned, and was sold at public auction on August 17. Nothing further is known about Marmora after her sale.