USS Clematis was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

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History
United States
Laid down	date unknown
Launched	1863
Acquired	2 August 1864
Commissioned	14 September 1864
Decommissioned	6 June 1866
Stricken	1866 (est.)
Fate	Sold, 26 November 1866
General characteristics
Displacement	297 tons
Length	127 ft (39 m)
Beam	22 ft (6.7 m)
Draught	10 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion	steam engine
Speed	12 knots
Complement	46
Armament	one 30-pounder rifle two 12-pounder smoothbore guns

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Clematis, a steam tugboat, was built in 1863 at Cleveland, Ohio, and purchased by the Navy 2 August 1864. She was taken to New York Navy Yard to be outfitted, and placed in commission there 14 September 1864.

Departing New York 4 October 1864 with the monitor Mahopac in tow, Clematis arrived at Fort Monroe, Virginia, 6 October. She operated as a tug in the James and Elizabeth Rivers and at Norfolk Navy Yard until 5 November when she sailed for duty on the blockade off Wilmington, North Carolina.

After repairs in Norfolk, Virginia, from 13 December 1864, Clematis again served up the James River in March and April 1865. On 27 April she cleared Fort Monroe, Virginia, for Mobile, Alabama, arriving 21 May 1865. Retained in service at the close of the Civil War, she served the Gulf Squadron until 23 May 1866 when she sailed for Philadelphia Navy Yard, arriving 31 May.

She was placed out of commission 6 June 1866 and sold 26 November 1866.

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.