 On July 9, 1862, the commanding officer of the Union bark "Arthur", Acting Volunteer Lieutenant John W. Kittredge, temporarily left that warship and embarked in the tender "Corypheus" whose shallow draft permitted her to operate in the shoal waters of Aransas Bay, Texas.The following day, at the town of Aransas on San Jose Island, "Corypheus" captured the small sloop, "Belle Italia", which Kittredge thereafter used as another tender to "Arthur".Although she was active along the Texas coast into the autumn of 1862, "Belle Italia" apparently was never placed in commission.