Sunday Aboard USS Richmond in 1890
There is a set of six photos taken aboard USS Richmond available in high resolution from the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress notes that the photos were published between 1890 and 1901. My guess is that they were taken on a single Sunday morning in the summer of 1890 as "Flagship Richmond" returned from her last active role as a cruising warship of the United States Navy. She had served as flagship of the South Atlantic Station.
Even though these photos were likely taken about 25 years after the war, very little has changed. Richmond perhaps looks a little more spotless than she would have after years of hard duty of blockade and battle, but in terms of her fittings and armament, she is much the same ship that fought at New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Mobile Bay. Her main battery is still composed primarily of smoothbore 9-Inch Dahlgrens. In a world in which the major navies are building steel pre-dreadnoughts and cruisers, USS Richmond with her rope-hauled Dahlgrens manned by cutlass wielding sailors is an anachronism, and I imagine that the photographer came aboard to get these last glimpses of the Old Steam Navy.
Richmond is an old ship, but she is a proud ship.
The First Photo: The Church Service from the Port Side
Sunday church services aboard USS Richmond Circa 1890. The highest resolution version of this photo may be found here: https://www.loc.gov/item/2016795163/
The enlisted sailors are sitting upon benches on the gun deck of USS Richmond. The sailors in the back row are sitting on either side of a 9-Inch Dahlgren. Most of the sailors appear fairly young. It doesn't look to me as if any are holding a hymnal or prayerbook.
Again, the facial expressions interest me: the clergyman, the marines on either side of the wheel, the young sailor looking over his shoulder
An organ has been placed on the deck for the church service. Visible just to the left of the organ is a bearded old senior officer. He does not appear in the other photo of the church service taken at this time. I presume him to be the admiral.
A sailor's hat sits upon the hatch. Note the cutlasses and 9-Inch shot rack.
Other sailors in the front row appear to have placed their hats upon the 9-inch shot.
An officer standing beside the mizzen mast looks down from the port side of the quarterdeck
The ship's officers sit on the starboard side of the gun deck. Note that the sight on the breech of the 9-inch Dahlgren is uncovered
Two of Richmond's boats hang from the starboard, aftmost davits
