The USS Miami is a 730-ton side-wheel gunboat. She was commissioned on January 29, 1862 and was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The USS Miami was sent to the Gulf of Mexico to help in the battle for New Orleans in the Civil War. In September of that year, the Miami was transferred to the Atlantic Ocean.

On April 19, 1864, the USS Miami participated in a naval-battle with the South's Albemarle. The battle resulted in the death of the Lieutenant Commander of the Miami, Charles Flusser. Towards the end of the same year, the ship was relocated to the James River, Virginia, and outlasted the Civil War in that area. In May of 1865, the USS Miami was decommisioned, and in August of the same year, she was sold. For the following four years, it was a commercial vessel, until finally in 1869, it was no longer used by any organization.

The USS Miami was in fact a integrated ship, and did have both black and white crew members.

In addition to a Civil War gunboat, the USS Miami has also been commissioned as a light cruiser in World War II, as well as a nuclear submarine.

The second USS Miami to bear the name was commissioned in 1943. Shortly thereafter, she was sent to the Pacific. While there, the Miami received six battle stars for the battles of Saipan, Philippine Sea, Guam, Palaus, Okinawa, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After the defeat of Japan in August 1945, the Miami returned to the West Coast and was decommissioned in June 1947.

The third boat to bear the name was SSN 755, an improved Los Angeles Class submarine, or 688i. She was commisioned in June 1990 and is still steaming. During deployment to the Persian Gulf and the Adriatic Sea in late 1998/early 1999, the USS Miami received two Navy Unit Commendations and the Battle "E" ribbon for operations against Iraq and other undisclosed theatres.

Trivia:

The USS Miami was the first submarine to offensively launch Tomahawk cruise missiles in two separate theatres of operation.

Two bitter (unofficial) treatises got their starts in the Miami engineroom: 100 Reasons McDonald's is Better than the Navy and the Caustic Petty Officer of the Watch qualification card. You can tell because there is a reason 75.5 in the list.

The official slogan of the Miami is WETSU, which stands for We Eat This Stuff Up. The unofficial slogan is SITFU; Suck It The F*** Up

Nicknames include The Big Gun of the Atlantic, the War Pig (not unique to the Miami), the USS Never-Pulls-In, and Satan's Atomic Fun Bus

Sources from NavalHistory.com and personal experience

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