[2] On 14 September, an expedition under Lieutenant J. H. Russell, from Colorado, cut out the schooner Judah, believed to be preparing for service as a privateer and spiked one gun of a battery at the Pensacola Navy Yard, losing three men in the raid.

In April 1862, Colorado, built for fighting at sea, was prevented from participating in the Battle of New Orleans because her draft was too deep to cross the bar.

Ordered to the European Squadron as flagship, she sailed on 11 June, and cruised off England, Portugal, and Spain, and in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas until she departed Cherbourg, on 23 July 1867, for New York, where she was placed in ordinary from 7 September 1867 – 15 February 1870.

America had emerged from the Civil War and its foreign policy at the time was to rival the European powers (France, Russia and Britain) in their efforts to establish trade and spheres of influence in China, Japan, and Korea.

As flagship for Rear Admiral John Rodgers' squadron, she carried the U.S. Minister (to China and Korea) on a diplomatic mission in April 1871.

On 1 June 1871, an unprovoked attack was made on two ships of the squadron by shore batteries from two Korean forts on the Salee River.

When no explanation was offered, a punitive expedition known as the Sinmiyangyo was mounted that destroyed the forts and inflicted heavy casualties on the Koreans.

Clearing Hong Kong, on 21 November 1872, Colorado sailed, by way of Singapore and Cape Town, for New York, arriving on 11 March 1873.

[2] While the ship was being broken up off of Plum Beach, near Port Washington, Long Island, a fire broke out on the forward decks, which was where boards were being burnt for iron spikes.

The fire spread to several other nearby, former navy ships, which were also due to be broken up for salvage, these were Minnesota, Susquehanna, South Carolina, Iowa, and Congress.