The name Niagara has been used by many different naval ships and by several 
different countries over the past 300 years. Even a class of Star Trek starships is named Niagara; however, it is not the focus of this web log to discuss starships.
Originally, the Indian name for Niagara was Ongiara. Within years of Father Hennepin's visit to the Falls, the name gradually changed to become Niagara by the explorers and non-native settlers. The United States Navy has used the name Niagara many times ( there were eight Niagara-named naval vessels); however, we will discuss in this weblog two of the more recent uses of this name. Our first USS Niagara was built on February 23,1855, commissioned on April 6th, 1857 and her first task was the laying of the transatlantic cable between Ireland and Newfoundland. This was a very monumental event that immortalized this USS Niagara. Additionally, she liberated 200 Africans from a brig that was bringing them over from Africa as slaves, transported the first Japanese diplomats from Washington to New York and served the Union as a blockade runner in the Civil War. The USS Niagara led a very long life and was decommissioned in 1864, remaining in the Boston Ship Yard until purchased by a private enterprise in 1885.
Our second USS Niagara originally was called the steam yacht Niagara and was built in 1898 in Wilmington, Delaware. Because of the onset of World War I, the United States Navy purchased her in 1917, converted her into a patrol boat and renamed her USS Niagara in 1918. Like her earlier "sister" she was involved in the laying of cable between the United States and the West Indies - only this Niagara was used to escort the cable ships between several ports. Post-World War I, the Niagara spent the majority of her time performing vital surveying duties throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea areas. Much of our corporation's work in Florida owes a debt of thanks to the Niagara for providing us with accurate nautical charts of this region. Finally, the USS Niagara was decommissioned in early March 1931 and sold for scrap in September, 1933.
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