On 24 January 1870 the fortunes of the USS Oneida took a decidedly downward turn. Straight down that is, along with most of her crew, to the bottom of Tokyo Bay.
For a warship constructed hurriedly during the Civil War, the USS Oneida had an active career. Built in 1861, the 198-foot, 10-inch schooner-rigged screw steamer, survived battles from 1862 to 1864, including service with Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut when he damned the torpedoes at Mobile Bay. Nothing, however, in her active past or sedentary later existence could save her from destruction at the bow of a more technologically advanced ship.
