USS Powhatan

Five ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Powhatan, named in honor of Powhatan (1550–1618), an Indian chief in tidewater Virginia; the father of Pocahontas.

• The first Powhatan was a sidewheel steam frigate, launched in 1850 and scrapped in 1887.

• The second Powhatan was a side-wheel gunboat transferred by the War Department to the Navy 21 April 1861, was renamed King Philip 4 November 1861.

• The third Powhatan was a tugboat, purchased in 1898. Her name was changed to Cayuga (YT-12) in 1917; she was scrapped in 1928.

• The fourth, Powhatan (SP-3013) , originally Hamburg, was built in 1899. She was commissioned as a troop transport and renamed Powhatan in 1917. She decommissioned in 1919 and was turned over to the Army Transport Service.

• The fifth, Powhatan (YT-128) , was a tugboat, launched in 1938. She was reclassified YTM-128 in 1944. She was active till at least 1970.