CSS Clarence

CSS Clarence

CSS "Clarence", also known as "Coquette", was originally a brig from Baltimore captured by the Confederate cruiser CSS "Florida" during the American Civil War and converted into a Confederate cruiser for commerce raiding.

Built in 1857 for Baltimore, Maryland fruit dealer J. Crosby, it was transporting a cargo of coffee from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Baltimore when the CSS "Florida" captured the "Clarence" off the coast of Brazil. Lt. Charles W. Read was appointed commander and a sufficient number of the "Florida"'s crew were transferred to the new cruiser to man the ship.DANFS]

Lieutenant Read had requested that, rather than burn "Clarence", he might try, with the ship's papers, to sail into Hampton Roads, Virginia, and if possible destroy or capture a Union gunboat and burn Union merchant vessels congregated at Fortress Monroe. "Florida"'s Commander John Newland Maffitt armed "Clarence" with one gun so that Read might capture prizes on his way to Hampton Roads.

In its brief career as a Confederate cruiser it captured a number of ships: The "Whistling Wind", "Kate Stewart", "Mary Alvina", "Mary Schindler" were burned, and the "Alfred H. Partridge" was bonded. Its final capture was the bark "Tacony" on June 12, 1863, which being a better ship suited for commerce raiding, the crew and armaments were transferred to it and the "Clarence" was destroyed.cite book | title=History of the Confederate States Navy: From the Organization to the Surrender of Its Last Vessel|publisher=Gramercy Books | location=New York, NY | year=1996 | author=J. Thomas Scharf | id=ISBN 0-517-18336-6]

Officers and crew

* Lt. Charles W. Read, commander
* Billups, Matthewson, and Pride, master's mates
* Brown, engineer
* 16 men

Notes and references


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