USS Columbia
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Seven United States Navy ships have been named USS Columbia, after the personification of the United States, also after the city of Columbia, South Carolina.
- A privately owned sloop named Columbia Rediviva under Captain Robert Gray, usually known in history simply as the Columbia, which was sent to the Pacific Northwest to trade for fur. As the ship was privately owned, it is not designated USS. In 1792 Captain Gray discovered the Columbia River and named it after the ship. In 1790 it became the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe.
- A 44-gun frigate Columbia was under construction at the Washington Navy Yard, but was burned in 1814 to prevent capture by the British.
- The first Columbia was a 50-gun sailing frigate launched in 1836 and in occasional service until 1861, when she was burned to avoid capture by the Confederates.
- The second Columbia was a captured Confederate screw steamer that ran aground in 1863.
- The third Columbia was an ironclad, also captured from the Confederates in 1865 and in use until June of that year(?).
- The fourth Columbia (C-12), later CA-16, was a cruiser in service from 1894 to 1921. At the end of its career it was renamed USS Old Columbia.
- The fifth Columbia (AG-9) was originally the Great Northern, a troop transport, renamed in 1921 and used until 1922.
- The sixth Columbia (CL-56) was a light cruiser launched 17 December 1941 and active throughout World War II.
- The seventh Columbia (SSN-771) is a Los Angeles-class attack submarine commissioned in 1995 and on active service as of 2005.
The Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102), which flew 28 missions between 1981 and 2003, is occasionally referred to as USS Columbia; this is incorrect, however, as she was not a vessel of the United States Navy.
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