USS Sabine was a Potomac-class sailing frigate operated by the United States Navy between 1858 and 1883. Laid down in 1822, her construction was significantly delayed as the Navy had no immediate need or budget for the frigate. Launched in 1855, she was immediately outdated and was one of the last sail-only frigates launched by the Navy. Alongside her sister ship Santee, her hull was lengthened in a failed attempt to modernize the design. The two ships are sometimes known as the Sabine-class.
Her maiden deployment was with the Paraguay Expedition in 1858, although she was too large to sail up the Paraguay River and played a minor role. After returning to the United States, she joined the Union blockade during the American Civil War and was assigned to the Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She operated off Florida and South Carolina and partook in other Union operations, such as searching for Confederate blockade runners. At the end of the war, she was repurposed as a training ship before she was laid up in 1877 and sold off in 1883.
Development
Of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, the three designed to carry 44 guns achieved early success during the War of 1812. In response, Congress authorized the construction of six additional 44-gun heavy frigates, which became known as the Java class in 1813. However, their wartime construction proved detrimental; in the rush to complete the ships quickly, the quality of materials and craftsmanship suffered. Only two vessels of the class entered service, both of which had short operational careers due to issues regarding their hurried development.
Four years later, Congress authorized the construction of nine additional frigates as part of a peacetime "gradual increase" of the Navy. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the Java class, the Navy emphasized a deliberate construction process, which allowed time to source high-quality materials and ensure quality craftsmanship. Congress did not allocate sufficient funding to complete all of the newly authorized frigates. Instead, the Navy adopted a strategy of constructing the ships nearly to completion, after which they were laid up in shipyards under protective structures. This approach was intended to preserve the hulls, as launching the ships prematurely would have led to rapid deterioration and would have been costly. The plan was to launch and complete each vessel in the event of war, thus retaining the quality vessels without the high cost associated with maintaining them during peacetime. They were rated to carry 44 guns, although the exact number and shot of each gun varied between each ship and over time. They displaced 1,726 tons and had a complement of 480 sailors and officers.
The ships of the class entered service over a span of 40 years, with the first laid down in 1820 and the last commissioned in 1861. The long delay between their initial design and commissioning meant that the later ships were outdated by the time they were finished. The expedition won the United States an indemnity and a renewed treaty. Sabine then operated out of New York with the Home Fleet until July 1861.thumb|Sabine, right, rescues a battalion of marines from the foundering steamer Governor in 1861.
Civil War, 1861–1865
Through July and August, she was out of commission at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Recommissioning on 30 August, she was ordered to join the Atlantic Blockading Squadron on 9 September.
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