The Princeton was moved to Philadelphia to serve as a receiving ship through the Civil War. The big buildings in the background were in the U.S. Navy Yard, at that time at Washington Avenue. A receiving ship was where new naval recruits reported for duty, as recorded in “A Journal of a Cruise in the U.S.S Powhatan” by Charles S. Mervine, age 15. Repeat, age 15.

“August 1862. At sea.

“8th. I shipped in the U.S. Navy at Philadelphia (for three yrs.) The same day find myself on board the Receiving Ship “Princeton” where [I] remained going through the ups and downs of a sailor’s life until the night of the 9th when I was drafted on board the ‘Powhatan.’ We lay in the Delaware [with] many visitors coming aboard until the 25th.”

This is the firct of a seroes of reposts from a previous blog. They will be marked by the letter RP at the bottm.