During the Civil War President Lincoln on several occasions used the Silver Queen, a steamer of 536 tons, hired by the Quartermaster General War Department, from George N. Power at $241 per day. It was on this vessel that President Lincoln held his conference with the Confederate Peace Commissioners Alexander H. Stevens, R.M.T. Hunter, and John A. Campbell, at Hampton Roads on February 3, 1865. On March 23, 1865, the President again made a trip from Washington DC to Hampton Roads on board the Silver Queen.

The USS Despatch was a wooden hulled steamer of 560 tons purchased in November 1873. She was 174 feet in length, 25 feet 6 inches beam and draft of 12 feet 4 inches. She made trips to West Indies and Europe before being assigned to the Washington DC area. She made her first cruise as a Presidential yacht with President Hayes on a short trip on the Potomac river on Nov. 9, 1880.She would be used as a yacht for Presidents Hayes, Garfield, Cleveland and Harrison. The last cruise of that type was on August 11th with Vice President Morton.

The Despatch on its way to Washington DC by way of Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River ran into a storm and sank, October 10, 1891. Everyone aboard at that time survived the accident. In 1997 Ben Benson, a salvage operator working with a magnatometer located the Despatch off Auateague Island.

The USS Dolphin was a dispatch vessel of 1,465 tons normal displacement, built by John Roach & Sons, Chester, Pennsylvania. Launched April 12, 1884, and commissioned December 8, 1885. In addition to regular naval duties, this vessel at times cruised with the President, the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the Admiral of the Navy, and various other high government officials and foreign dignitaries. President McKinley was aboard her during the ceremonies at Grant's Tomb on April 23, 1897. She made a number of cruises with the President on board during the period 1900-1902 and the year 1905.