The first USS New England was a whaler purchased by the Union Navy at New London, Connecticut, on 21 November 1861. New England was used in the "Stone Fleet" as an obstruction at Maffit's Channel, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, on 25 January 1862. See also Union Blockade References Ships of the Union Navy Ships of the Stone Fleet Maritime incidents in January 1862 Scuttled vessels Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast