– 15 March 1873. As flagship for Rear Admiral John Rodgers' squadron, she carried the U.S. Minister (to China and Korea) on a diplomatic mission in April 1871. On 1 June 1871, an unprovoked attack was made on two ships of the squadron by shore batteries from two Korean forts on the Salee River. When no explanation was offered, a punitive expedition known as the Sinmiyangyo was mounted that destroyed the forts and inflicted heavy casualties on the Koreans. Clearing Hong Kong, on 21 November 1872, Colorado sailed, by way of Singapore and Cape Town, for New York, arriving on 11 March 1873. North Atlantic Squadron Colorado sailed from New York, on 12 December, to cruise the North Atlantic Station, and became flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron on 27 August 1874. Decommissioned Returning to New York, on 30 May 1876, Colorado was placed out of commission on 8 June. From 1876 to 1884, she was used as a receiving ship at New York Navy Yard. She was sold on 14 February 1885, to a private company; and broken up for salvage material and burned for her copper fastenings. While the ship was being broken up off of Plum Beach, near Port Washington, Long Island, a fire broke out on the forward decks, which was where boards were being burnt for iron spikes. The fire spread to several other nearby, former navy ships, which were also due to be broken up for salvage, these were , , , Iowa, and . Along with Colorado, these other ships went down after they were burnt. The company that had been breaking the ships up, Stannard & Co., claimed at the time that the fire may have caused a more than $100,000 loss. See also List of steam frigates of the United States Navy Bibliography of early American naval history Union Navy References Silverstone, Paul H. Warships of the Civil War Navies Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1989, . Steamships of the United States Navy Ships of the Union Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1856 ships Ships built in Portsmouth, Virginia