History
United States
Acquired	3 June 1864
In service	circa June 1864
Out of service	circa June 1865
Fate	Sold, 12 July 1865
General characteristics
Displacement	55 tons
Length	66 ft (20 m)
Beam	15 ft (4.6 m)
Draft	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Propulsion	steam engine
Speed	9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)

USS Epsilon was a tugboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a tugboat and dispatch boat to support Union Navy patrol vessels on Confederate waterways.

Service history

Epsilon, a steam tug, was purchased as Harry Bumm at Philadelphia, 3 June 1864, and assigned to duty in the James River. She was known as Tug No. 5 until November 1864 when she was named Epsilon. Throughout her career, Epsilon performed useful service in the James, reconnoitering, patrolling, serving as picket, carrying mail, and transferring men from one ship's company to another. Epsilon was ordered north in May 1865 and was sold at New York City 12 July 1865.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.