USS Hornet, an 835-ton side-wheel steam gunboat, was built at Blackwall, England, in 1864. Under the name Lady Sterling, she was captured by USS Eolus and USS Calypso on 28 October 1864 while attempting to run the blockade of Wilmington, North Carolina. Subsequently acquired by the Navy and converted into a gunboat, she was commissioned in April 1865 as USS Lady Sterling. She was renamed Hornet in June 1865 and operated in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay area during the next few months. In October 1865, Hornet escorted the former Confederate ironclad Stonewall to the United States from Cuba. After brief service along the U.S. east coast, she was decommissioned in December 1865.
USS Hornet was sold by the Navy in June 1869. As the merchant ship Hornet, she became active in supporting insurrections in Haiti and Cuba. Taken into Spanish service in 1872 and renamed Marco Aurelia, she was broken up in about 1894.

For more than 39 years, Resort Realty has been providing unforgettable Outer Banks vacations. From Corolla to Hatteras Island, Resort Realty offers nearly 600 Outer Banks vacation homes that range from cozy 1-bedroom condos to exquisite 20-bedroom...
Discover the best homemade ice cream and authentic made-from-scratch New York Style pizza the Outer Banks has to offer at American Pie in Kill Devil Hills. An Outer Banks favorite for lunch, dinner or a delicious scoop of scrumptious ice cream after...
The Crystal Coast is best explored from the water, and Morehead City Ferry Service will take explorers to some of the most remote and beautiful corners of this long stretch of Southern Outer Banks shoreline. Launching from the heart of Downtown...
Owned by Garry Oliver, the proprietor of the Outer Banks Fishing Pier, this small wooden aqua blue-colored store on the Nags Head-Manteo causeway has been serving the needs of fishermen for decades. A full line of tackle is available for all types...



