he first USS Cumberland was a 50-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy.
USS Cumberland was orginally She was launched 24 May 1842 by Boston Navy Yard. Her first commanding officer was Captain S. L. Breese, and her first service was as flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron from 1843 to 1845 where she had among her officers men like Foote and Dahlgren. She was flagship of the Home Squadron between February and December 1846, serving in the Gulf of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Continuing to serve in the Home Squadron she returned to the United States in July 1848.
Cumberland made her second cruise to the Mediterranean from 1849 to 1851, returning as flagship of the squadron there from 1852 to 1855.
Between 1855 and 1857, Cumberland was razeeat the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. She was also given new weapons in the form of 24 Dahlgren smoothbore cannons (22 IX-inch and 2 X-inch).
From 1857 to 1859 she cruised on the coast of Africa as flagship of the African Squadron patrolling for the suppression of the slave trade. Like many U.S. Navy ships in Africa, Cumberland employed a number of Krooman (indigenous Africans who lived on the western coast) to serve as scouts, interpreters, and fishermen. The ship's surgeons had to deal with a number of issues, including an outbreak of smallpox. Cumberland boarded several dozen merchant ships. Her crew only siezed one, the schooner Cortez, after shackles and known slave trading items had been found on the deck of the schooner.
After her return from Africa, Cumberland became flagship of the Home Squadron in 1860. The aft X-inch Dahlgren was removed and replaced with a 70-pounder rifle (though it should be noted that this gun did not exist in the Navy's inventory. It was possibly a 5.3-inch, 60-pounder Parrott Rifle.) She made a return trip to Vera Cruz Mexico, which was in the middle of a civil war. The Navy recalled her to Hampton Roads, VA when domestic issues in the United States took a turn for the worse.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War Cumberland was at Gosport Navy Yard, with orders to monitor the situtation in Norfolk and Portsmouth. After the attack on Fort Sumter, the ship's company was ordered to gather up or destroy U.S. Government property. This included several crates of small arms and possibly (not yet confirmed) gold from the U.S. Customs House in Norfolk. The company was also ordered to spike all 3,000 guns at the Navy Yard within just a few hours. This latter task was immpossible, given that only 100 sailors were assigned to the task.
She was towed out of the yard, escaping destruction when other ships there were scuttled and burned by Union forces 20 April 1861 to prevent their capture. She served as one of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron until 8 March 1862. The sloop-of-war engaged Confederate forces in several minor actions in Hampton Road and captured many small ships in Hampton Roads. Additionally, Cumberland was a part of the expedition that captured the forts at Cape Hatteras.
Cumberland was rammed and sunk in an engagement with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) at Newport News, Virginia.