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The U.S.S. GOVERNOR RUSSELL in 1898 The 3 inch gun added to the vessel when she was converted to an auxiliary cruiser can be seen on her bow.

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The GOVERNOR RUSSELL, named for a former governor of Massachusetts, was a wooden ferry that was built and launched in 1898 by William McKie in East Boston. The U.S. Navy acquired the vessel May 11, 1898 and converted it to an auxiliary gunboat. The vessel was commissioned on June 24, 1898 under the command of of Lieutenant Charles H. Grant. The crew was made up of members of the Massachusetts Naval Brigade.  

GOVERNOR RUSSELL was first ordered to New York City, where she remained briefly from July 17 through July 23. She was next ordered deliver a cargo of armaments and ammunition to Cuba by way of Port Royal, South Carolina. However, en route to Port Royal she encountered a heavy storm off Cape Hatteras. She was built as a ferry and not for use at sea, so she was battered by the gale and was forced to put in at Beaufort, North Carolina. During the storm, sea water also had gotten into the provisions. The crew alleged that provisions were rendered inedible and that hunger aboard the ship was a major issue. She remained at Beaufort from July 27 until August 5. The GOVERNOR RUSSELL was then able to continue on to Port Royal, stopping at Moorehead City, South Carolina en route. She finally arrived at Port Royal on August 7.

At Port Royal GOVERNOR ROYAL had to be drydocked to allow for extensive repairs to be made to the vessel. Food remained an issue, as the provisions stored on board had spoiled further. At Port Royal, naval officers at the navy yard took up a collection of food for the ship's crew, but the officers of the GOVERNOR RUSSELL did not allow for the men to accept the collection.  Also at Port Royal the decision was made to give up on getting the ship to Cuba, and, instead, to return to New York

After a month, on September 7, the vessel was able to depart to return to New York City. Unfortunately she was battered by another storm. The ship took on 17-1/2 inches of water per hour and the ship's electrical plants failed repeatedly. Portions of the "forward overhand" had to be cut away supposedly to save the vessel. The ship had to put in at Hampton Roads, Virginia for repairs, arriving stern-first and with water at a depth of seventeen feet in areas of the vessel. She arrived at the Norfolk Navy Yard on September 13.  Instead of being repaired, the U.S. Navy declared the ship unfit for duty on September 28, 1898. The ship was removed from the Navy's roll on July 3, 1899.

This vessel was designed for use in river crossings and was not built to withstand the ravages of the open ocean. The folly using the vessel at sea was rapidly discovered as she was so damaged by storms at sea that she was declared unfit for service. 

Bibliography:

Clerk of the Joint Committee on Printing, The Abridgement of the Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress, Vol. 2, Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1899, 1228-1229.

"Crew is Mustered Out," Boston Evening Transcript (Boston, Massachusetts). September 30, 1898, 8.

Naval History Division, Department of the Navy, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. III, Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1968, Reprinted 1977, 126.

Report of the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1898) 23.

"Starts for Cuba Tomorrow," Boston Evening Transcript (Boston Massachusetts). July 15, 1898, 7.
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