USS Albany (1846)

Lithograph of USS Albany by Nathaniel Currier
History
United States
Name	Albany
Namesake	Albany, New York
Builder	New York Navy Yard
Laid down	1843
Launched	27 June 1846
Commissioned	6 November 1846
Homeport	Naval Yard Warrington
Fate	Lost at sea, last seen 28 or 29 September 1854
General characteristics
Type	Sloop-of-war
Tons burthen	1,042
Length	147 ft 11 in (45.1 m) (p/p)
Beam	38 ft 6 in (11.7 m)
Draft	17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
Sail plan	Full rigged
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement	210 officers and enlisted men
Armament	4 × 8 in (203 mm) shell guns 18 × 32 pdr (15 kg) guns

USS Albany, the first United States Navy ship of that name,^[1] was built in the 1840s for the US Navy. The ship was among the last of the wooden sloops powered by sail and saw extensive service in the Mexican War. Before and after her combat service, Albany conducted surveillance and observation missions throughout the Caribbean. In September 1854, during a journey along the coast of Venezuela, Albany was lost with all hands on 28 or 29 September 1854. Included among the 250 men lost were several sons and grandsons of politically prominent men.