USS Colorado (1856)

USS Colorado

USS Colorado
History
United States
Name	Colorado
Namesake	Colorado River
Builder	Norfolk Navy Yard
Laid down	1856
Launched	19 June 1856
Sponsored by	Ms. N. S. Dornin
Commissioned	13 March 1858
Decommissioned	8 June 1876
Fate	Sold, 18 February 1885
General characteristics
Class and type	none
Type	Screw frigate
Displacement	3,425 long tons (3,480 t)
Length	263 ft 8 in (80.37 m)
Beam	52 ft 6 in (16.00 m)
Draft	22 ft 1 in (6.73 m)
Propulsion	Steam engine
Sail plan	Three masts
Speed	9 kn (10 mph; 17 km/h)
Complement	674 officers and men[1]
Armament	2 × 10 in (250 mm) guns 28 × 9 in (230 mm) guns 14 × 8 in (200 mm) guns
General characteristics 1864
Class and type	none
Armament	1 × 150–pounder rifle 1 × 11 in (280 mm) smoothbore guns 46 × 9 in (230 mm) smoothbore guns 4 × 12–pounder howitzers[1]
General characteristics 1871
Class and type	none
Armament	2 × 100–pounder rifles 1 × 11 in (280 mm) smoothbore guns 42 × 9 in (230 mm) smoothbore guns 2 × 20–pounder howitzers 6 × 12–pounder howitzers[1]

The first USS Colorado, a 3,400-long-ton (3,500 t), three-masted^[2] steam screw frigate, was launched on 19 June 1856, by the Norfolk Navy Yard. Named after the Colorado River,^[3] she was sponsored by Ms. N. S. Dornin, and commissioned on 13 March 1858, with Captain W. H. Gardner, in command. She was the fifth of the Franklin-class frigates, which were all named after US rivers, except for Franklin.