USS Ashuelot was an iron-hulled, double-ended, side-wheel in the United States Navy. She was named for a river in New Hampshire. The contract for the construction of Ashuelot was awarded in June or July 1863 to Donald McKay. Her keel was laid down at his shipyard in East Boston, Massachusetts, sometime in 1864; and the ship was launched on 22 July 1865. She was delivered to the Boston Navy Yard on 30 November of that year; but, since the American Civil War had recently ended, the Navy's need for her services had diminished. As a result, Ashuelot — which had been designed for operations in the shallow rivers and coastal waters of the Confederacy — was not placed in commission until 4 April 1866, Commander John C. Febiger in command. Service history Maiden voyage, 1866–1867 About this time, the new gunboat was chosen to join in escorting the double-ended monitor to Europe. On the 11th, Ashuelot got underway to test her machinery and to assess her sailing qualities before joining her future consorts at New York. The three ships stood out from that port on 6 May and headed for Canadian waters. However, two days out, Commander Alexander Murray of Augusta—who commanded the little task force—dispatched Ashuelot to Boston, Massachusetts, to await the arrival of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Vasa Fox, President Andrew Johnson's personal representative in carrying to Saint Petersburg the Joint Resolution of Congress congratulating Tsar Alexander II on having escaped unscathed from a recent assassination attempt. After embarking her distinguished passenger, Ashuelot got underway again, threaded her way through a field of icebergs that obstructed the approaches to the coast of Nova Scotia; and rejoined the flotilla at Halifax on 3 June. There, Fox—who wished to demonstrate the seaworthiness of monitors which, up to that time, had never crossed the Atlantic—moved to Miantonomoh for the voyage. The trio put to sea two days later and reached Queenstown, Ireland, on the 16th. At this port, Ashuelot—which had long been slated for duty in the Far East—was detached from her companions and proceeded via the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian Ocean, and the Straits of Malacca to the western Pacific. She finally joined the Asiatic Squadron at Hong Kong on 15 January 1867 and served in Oriental waters throughout her career. 1867–1870 The double-ender's first memorable mission began at Amoy early in April of that year