Her first command was Captain David G. Farragut and sea trials led her to South Carolina waters. From there she voyaged to various points in the Caribbean including Mexico where the "Reform War" (1857-1861) raged. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, USS Brooklyn tried, unsuccessfully, to resupply / reinforce Union elements confined to Fort Sumter (South Carolina). She then repelled Confederate attacks at Fort Pickens (Pensacola, Florida) and found her way to Ship Island (Mississippi) where she captured the escaping vessel "Magnolia". From there USS Brooklyn took part in the attacks on Fort St. Phillip and Fort Jackson, surviving a ramming attempt from CSS Manassas and she participated in the capture of New Orleans and supported forces at Vicksburg. After a time in Gulf waters, the Battle of Mobile Bay followed after which point she joined other navy and land forces in taking Fort Fisher.
With the end of the war arriving in May of 1865, USS Brooklyn claimed ten total war prizes. She managed a post-war career that took her from the South Atlantic and the Mediterranean to circumnavigating the globe. She ended her storied career on April 24th, 1889 by entering New York waters. On May 14th of that year she was decommissioned and her name struck from the Naval Register. The warship was sold off on March 25th, 1891 through auction at the Norfolk Navy Yard.
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