CSS Bienville[1] was a light draft steamer "substantially built" of yellow pine and white oak under contract by John Hughes and Co., at Bayou St. John, La., in 1861-62.

Collaborating and inspecting for the Government in the Hughes yard was S. D. Porter, Acting Constructor, CSN.

On 21 April 1862, as the battle of New Orleans impended, Bienville was still without a crew, consequently her officers were obliged to destroy her in Lake Pontchartrain to prevent capture.

This article incorporates public domain material from Bienville.

This article about a specific ship related to the American Civil War is a stub.