Scourage III

Scourge III
(Sch: t. 231; 1. 120'; b. 23'; dr. 9'; s. 10.5 k.; cpl. 50;
a. 1 32-pdr., 2 24-pdr. car.)

The third Scourge was built in 1848 as merchant steamer, Bangor, by Betts, Harlan, and Hollingsworth of Wilmington, Del. She was powered by twin screws and was the first iron-hulled, sea-going merchant vessel in the United States.

Bangor was purchased by the United States Government on 30 December 1846 for duty during the Mexican War. Outfitted, renamed Scourge, and commanded by Lt. Charles G. Hunter, she joined Commodore Matthew Perry's squadron in the Gulf of Mexico on 29 March 1847. She was a part of the "Mosquito Flotilla" and was immediately assigned to take part in a concerted sea-land attack upon the port of Alvarado. On 31 March 1847, Scourge, acting alone, captured Alvarado.

Scourge subsequently participated in the capture of LaPena, Palmasola, Hospital Hill, Tuxpan, and Tabasco. Prior to the attack on Tabasco, Lt. Lockwood the commanding officer, became one of the first officers to protect a ship's exposed machinery by using sandbags.

The Scourge was sold at New Orleans to a foreign country on 7 October 1848.