USRC Andrew Johnson

Between 1865 and 1866, five cutters of the Chase Class were constructed for the Revenue Cutter Service. These cutters were named: Chase, Fessenden, Johnson, McCulloch and Sherman. They were wooden-hulled side-wheel steamers and powered by walking-beam steam engines. Their hulls were constructed with iron diagonal bracing for added strength. They were designed for operations on the Great Lakes. However, the McCulloch served in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

History
United States
Name:	USRC Andrew Johnson
Ordered:	1865
Builder:	J & R Gray, Buffalo, New York
Laid down:	1865
Launched:	1865
Commissioned:	1 May 1865
Decommissioned:	1897
Stricken:	1897: unknown after use by the Ohio Naval Militia
Fate:	Sold, later purchased by the US Navy for the Ohio Naval Militia, unknown after this
General characteristics
Class and type:	Chase-class cutter
Displacement:	500 tons
Length:	172 ft (52 m)
Beam:	26.25 ft (8.00 m)
Draft:	10 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion:	Sail/steam (Side wheels; single walking-beam steam engine)
Complement:	40
Armament:	3 x 4-pounders; 1 x 30-pounder; 2 x 24-pounders

The revenue cutter Andrew Johnson, also known as simply Johnson, was commissioned on 1 May 1865 for service on the Great Lakes. She was based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin for her entire Revenue Cutter Service career. During the navigation season, the Johnson patrolled the waters of the Great Lakes. In the winter months, usually late November to May, she was laid up.

She was rebuilt in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1879, with two feet being added to her beam. She was placed out of service and sold to Charles E. Benham for $2,250 in May, 1897.

She was later purchased by the Ohio Naval Militia, predecessor of the Naval Reserve, and used for training.