The first USS Leyden was a screw steamer that operated as a tug in the U.S. Navy from 1866 to 1903 and saw combat service in the Spanish–American War in 1898.

[1] While the ship was near Boston on 26 August 1881, Seaman Michael Thornton jumped overboard and rescued a fellow sailor from drowning, for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

She also fought at the Battle of Fajardo the night of 8–9 August, bombarding enemy positions to support bluejackets from USS Amphitrite holding the Cape San Juan Light against a Spanish ground attack.

The next morning, Leyden transported 60 women and children from the town of Fajardo that had been quartered at the lighthouse to Ponce, Puerto Rico.

While on a return passage from Puerto Rico on 21 January 1903, the tug foundered in heavy fog off Block Island, ending her lengthy career.