USS American (1861)

USS American (1861)

USS "American" was a bark of 329 tons, a former whaler, purchased 1 November 1861 at Edgartown, Massachusetts for the Stone Fleet at a cost of $3,370. She left New Bedford, Massachusetts on 20 November, 1861, and was intentionally sunk as an obstruction to shipping in the main channel of the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina on 20 December, 1861. This ship has sometimes been recorded as the "America". ["Treasures of the Confederate Coast: the "real Rhett Butler" & Other Revelations" by Dr. E. Lee Spence, (Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, 1995) [ISBN 1886391017] [ISBN 1886391009] , p. 146]

Originally planned to have been sunk in the harbor of Savannah, Georgia, when the whalers began to arrive in waters off Savannah, they found the Southern defenders of that port had been alarmed by the Union Army conquest of Port Royal, South Carolina, and had decided to evacuate Tybee Island and relocate its batteries to Fort Pulaski. Moreover, to prevent Northern warships from bringing their guns within range of the latter stronghold, they had sunk old hulks in narrow points of the channel and, ironically, had already carried out the mission of Union's stone bearing whalers. As a result, "American" and most of her consorts sailed for Port Royal on the 10th and llth. There, Flag Officer DuPont decided that these ships could be put to good use as obstructions in the main channel in Charleston Harbor. They were moved to that port, and "American" was sunk in the main channel there on 20 December 1861.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a8/american-i.htm


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • USS Aroostook (1861) — was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Aroostook was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Built in Maine in 1861… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Yankee (1861) — was a steam powered side wheel tugboat acquired by the Union Navy just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. Provisioning Fort Sumter, evacuating Norfolk The Yankee a side wheel steamer built in 1860 at New York City was one of three… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Zouave (1861) — was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was needed by the Navy to be part of the fleet of ships to prevent blockade runners from entering ports in the Confederacy. Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade Zouave …   Wikipedia

  • USS Ino (1861) — was a clipper ship acquired by the Union Navy during the course of the American Civil War. She was capable of great speed and distance, and was a formidable warship with powerful guns. Ino was a clipper ship, purchased at Boston, Massachusetts,… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Morse (1861) — was a ferryboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Ferryboats were of great value, since, because of their flat bottom and shallow draft, they could navigate streams and shallow waters that other ships could not. Morse , a… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Racer (1861) — was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used for various purposes, but, especially for bombardment because of her large 13 inch mortar that could fire up and over tall riverbanks. Racer was purchased by… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Carondelet (1861) — was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. Because of her shallow draft and her combination of heavy guns and a howitzer, she was suited for riverside bombardment and assigned… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Sciota (1861) — was a steamship rushed into production by the Union Navy at the start of the American Civil War. She was outfitted as a gunboat, with both a 20 pounder rifle for horizontal firing, and two howitzers for shore bombardment, and assigned to the… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Cairo (1861) — was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War. She was the first vessel of the City class ironclads, also called the Cairo class. Cairo was the first ship sunk by a naval mine, on… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Unadilla (1861) — was a 507 ton steam operated gunboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used as a gunboat by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Built in …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”