In the
Second Seminole War, a joint Army-Navy-
Revenue Marine task force in southern Florida that patrolled along the shore to intercept Bahamian and Cuban trade with the Seminoles, and made reconnaissance patrols on rivers and through the Everglades.
In the American Civil War, it was the name of a group of converted gunboats originally of the North Carolina Navy, later transferred to the
Confederate States Navy, that operated in and near the North Carolina Sounds from the start of the war until the
Battle of Elizabeth City.[1]
In the American Civil War, it was the name of Commodore George Hollins River defense fleet that opposed the Union Gulf Blockade fleet in the
Battle of the Head of Passes.[2]
A
fleet of small steam vessels which plied the waters of
Puget Sound during the late 19th century and early 20th century (see
Washington State Ferries and
Puget Sound Navigation Company). It was also used to describe the various steamboats and other small craft that served on the rivers and bays of the Oregon coast. (See
Steamboats of the Oregon Coast). There was also a similar fleet on the east coast of the United States; see
Sabino.
A fleet of converted yachts used by the US Navy during
World War I off the Atlantic Coast of France to patrol for
U-boats and provide support for convoys into
Brest,
France. This fleet was also called the "Suicide Fleet".
The fast, wooden
PT boat used by the American navy in
World War II, with the most famous being
PT-109, skippered by Lieutenant Junior Grade
John F. Kennedy, a future president of the United States.
The fleet of sailing ships that plied the waters off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia in the mid-19th century, trawling for shrimp and selling their catch in local markets; the fleet was primarily crewed by
Gullah fishermen.
Named for the shrimp boats' insect-like profiles, Galveston's Mosquito Fleet continues to dock at Pier 19 (
commons:File:Mosquito Fleet Berth, Pier 19 Galveston.jpg) enriching the city and nation and blending Asian and European fisher customs into Americanisms
The term "Mosquito Fleet" also refers to the fleet of small
ketches and
schooners operating in the shallow coastal and gulf waters of
South Australia, from 1836 to 1982.[3]
In the early days of settlement at Geraldton (now Innisfail), the Johnstone River had a sand bar at the mouth and several shallow stretches in the river. The problem of large ships being unable to enter the river made it difficult for bags of sugar from the district sugar mills to be transported to southern refineries. To overcome this problem, shallow draft steam ships and lighters were used to carry the bags of sugar out to meet larger ships. The small ships became known as "The Mosquito Fleet".