USS Lafayette (1848)

History
United States
Name	USS Lafayette
Laid down	1848
Acquired	by purchase, 18 May 1862
Commissioned	27 February 1863
Decommissioned	23 July 1865
Fate	Sold, 28 March 1866
General characteristics
Type	Ironclad ram
Displacement	1,193 long tons (1,212 t)
Length	280 ft (85 m)
Beam	45 ft (14 m)
Draft	8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion	Steam engine
Speed	4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Armament	2 × 11 in (280 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore guns 4 × 9 in (230 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore guns 2 × 100-pounder Parrott rifle guns

The first USS Lafayette was a side wheel steamer, converted to an ironclad ram, in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.

Lafayette was built at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1848 as Aleck Scott (often spelled Alick Scott). She was purchased by the War Department as Fort Henry on 18 May 1862 for use in the western flotilla. She was converted to an ironclad ram at St. Louis by Edward Hartt. Renamed Lafayette on 8 September 1862, she was transferred to the Navy with the entire western flotilla by executive order on 1 October 1862. She was commissioned at Cairo, Illinois, 27 February 1863, with Captain Henry A. Walke in command.