Flag was purchased on 26 April 1861 at Philadelphia as Phineas Sprague, converted as a warship at the Washington Navy Yard, and renamed and commissioned on 28 May 1861, Lieutenant Commander L. C. Sartori in command.
A vessel was purchased on 26 April 1861 at Philadelphia under the name Phineas Sprague, converted into a combat ship at the Washington Navy Yard, and subsequently renamed and launched as a warship on 28 May 1861, with Lieutenant Commander L. C. Sartori at the helm.