USS Essex was an Enterprise-class wooden-hulled armed naval steam sloop of war.

[5] On 23 December 1930 Essex was sold for scrap, and on 14 October 1931 she was taken to the beach just outside Duluth Harbor where they set fire to her; she eventually burned to the waterline.

The act stated that the four vessels should be built by the lowest responsible bidders for the contract in public competition.

[3] Essex had a very bluff appearance; she had a figurehead, a moderate tumble home and a shapely rounded stern.

During the year of 1877 Essex cruised to Liberia and along the west coast of Africa and in 1878–79 joined the South Atlantic Squadron.

While at Monrovia, Liberia, on 31 October 1877, Ordinary Seaman John Millmore and First Class Fireman Henry Lakin Simpson rescued a shipmate from drowning, for which they were later awarded the Medal of Honor.

Jewell in June 1886 and in October anchored at Ponape, Caroline Islands, to afford protection to American missionaries during a native uprising.

On another of her trips Essex ran aground in the mouth of the Saguenay River about 100 miles (160 km) from Quebec.

A 15 August 1904, issue of the Toledo Blade described the event: The pilot had gone aboard the tow tug when suddenly the Essex struck bottom in a spot where there are a large number of boulders, dangerous at all times.

[7] Essex served the Minnesota Naval Militia for three years after which she was stricken from the Navy list on 27 October 1930.

[11] On 22 November 1930, the Detroit Free Press wrote a lament to the old vessel: On December 17 initial steps to divorce her from the navy will be instituted when she is offered to the highest bidder adjudged capable of treating her kindly in her old age.

[11]The Klatzky Brothers stripped Essex and sold some of her pieces to former officers and enlisted men throughout the country.

The remains of Essex were pulled up onto the beach so that her hull could continue to burn; any metals (such as spikes, nails, or drift pins) were also recovered for scrap.

[12] This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.