<P> At the start of the war , the Union Navy had 42 ships in commission . Another 48 were laid up and listed as available for service as soon as crews could be assembled and trained , but few were appropriate for the task at hand . Most were sailing vessels , some were hopelessly outdated , and one ( USS Michigan ) served on Lake Erie and could not be moved to the ocean . During the course of the war , the number in commission was increased by more than a factor 15 , so that at the end the U.S. Navy had 671 vessels . </P>
<P> At the start of the war , the Union Navy had 42 ships in commission . Another 48 were laid up and listed as available for service as soon as crews could be assembled and trained , but few were appropriate for the task at hand . Most were sailing vessels , some were hopelessly outdated , and one ( USS Michigan ) served on Lake Erie and could not be moved to the ocean . During the course of the war , the number in commission was increased by more than a factor 15 , so that at the end the U.S. Navy had 671 vessels . </P>
how many ships did the union have in the civil war
how many ships did the union have in the civil war
671
671