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Some controversy in the literature as to whether it was a side wheeler or screw driven . Most feel that it was a propeller boat.
In 1863 she was a British flagged ship. She left England in 1863 bound for Mexico. She passed by St Thomas in the Danish Virgin Islands. She was boarded first by the USS Alabama who fires shots across her bow. The Alabama released her and as she sailed on she was stopped again by the USS Vanderbilt offshore of St Thomas . When the Peterhoff was boarded her papers indicated that she was enrout to Matamoros, Mexico. However 1 crewman stated that the were going to Brownsville, Tx near Matamoros. On this evidence the Peterhoff was seized as a blockade runner. The ship was taken to Key West where a naval trial was held. The trial allowed the US to seize the ship from The British. This angered both the British and the Danish. The ship was carrying British mail at the time.
The Peterhoff then became a blockader fitted with guns and cannons. She was sent to the entances of the Cape fear River to assist in the bloackade. The Peterhoff was rammed amidships by the USS Monticello. The Monticello mistook here for a blockade runner. The Peterhoff sunk in 1/2 hour. The USS Mount Vernon was sent the next day to sink here and prevent the Confederates from salvaging her. The cannons that could be accessed were spiked and rigging was removed. The job was incomplete due to dangerous sea conditions. The commander of the Monticello, Lt William Cushing placed the blame for the accident on Ensign Hadfield as he was the deck office who mistakingly identified the Peterhoff.
The USS Cherokee ran into the wreck on the night of July 15, 1864, but little damage resulted. After the war the US Supreme Court ruled that the seizure was invalid. The British were then reimbursed for their ship.
reference and links
http://www.ecu.edu/maritime/westr1.htm
Cape Fear Civil War Roundtable