Other Shipwreck Questions

[Galleon Hunter]

You guys are amazing ask a question and receive an intelligent answer... here are a few others I am trying to clear up for my book. I have looked at The Official Records of the Union & Confederate Navies, Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks, Graveyard of the Atlantic, Lifeline of the Confederacy, The Blockade Runners, Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States, etc.

Admiral Dupont, sank 1865 off the coast of NJ, everywhere I have found indicates she was a side-wheel steamer yet Gary Gentile in Shipwrecks of Delaware specifically states that a wreck there is NOT the Admiral Dupont because the Admiral Dupont WAS NOT a side-wheel steamer.

A few other Civil War Wreck problems...

The U.S.S. Sumter, one source claims she was built at Mystic CT in 1862 another Philadelphia in 1853.

USS Osceola built at Brooklyn in 1848 or New York in 1858.

USS Columbia, screw propeller or side-wheel steamer?

Confederate screw-steamer Havana, 169-tons, was chased ashore and burned in Dead Man’s Bay by the U.S.S. Isilda on June 5. Wise and Hemphill PLACE DEAD MAN’S BAY IN FL while another source places Dead Man's Bay in Texas??

A lot of times a mistake is made and other authors keep on repeating the same error. I ran into this when researching the USS Peterhoff. Several sources claim she was formerly a pleasure yacht belonging to the Czar of Russia. It is in several popular books, complete with picture depicting a side-wheel steamer. Yet the wreck of the Peterhoff is a screw-propeller. The source of the confusion stems from an error in a book published in 1924 and subsequently repeated numerous times. After much research, the Czar of Russia did have yacht named Peterhoff, but that vessel sank in 1850. The blockade runner Peterhoff never blonged to the Czar of Russia and was a screw propeller built at Sunderland, England in 1862.

So just because it's in print doesn't mean it's true. In most of these cases, there is enough info to see what is right and what is wrong, but in these cases, when you have conflicting information, it is often hard to sort out.

Anyway, thanks for any help with these new qyestions...

Galleon Hunter

 

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[allen_idaho]

According to the U.S. Navy Historical Center, here is some info that should clear things up. I figure they would be the ones with the most accurate information.

*** U.S.S. Sumter ***

The first Sumter was a side wheel steamer built as Junius Beebe, in 1853 at Algiers, La. She operated on the Mississippi and its tributaries as a towboat until early 1861 when she was purchased by the State of Louisiana from Charles H. Morgan's Southern Steamship Company. In January 1862, she was acquired by Capt. James E. Montgomery, CSN, for the Confederate War Department's River Defense Fleet. The steamer was refitted at Algiers as a cottonclad ram by the James Martin yard. Her bow was strengthened by 4-inch oak sheathing covered by 1-inch iron plates.

Cotton bales were compressed between double pine bulkheads for added strength.

Renamed General Sumter, the ram proceeded to Ft. Pillow, Tenn., on 17 April to be armed. On 10 May, defending the main avenue to Memphis, Montgomery's fleet of eight attacked the Federal ironclads. In this action at Plum Point Bend, 4 miles above Ft. Pillow, General Sumter, Capt. W. W. Lamb in command, steamed within 20 yards of Mortar Boat No. 16, whose projectiles were threatening the fort, and fired everything she had, including a rifle volley; two 32-pound shot pierced the iron blinds of the Union floating battery. Then General Sterling Price and General Sumter cooperated in a well executed coordinated attack, one after the other, ramming Cincinnati at full speed so that she lost her rudder and much of her stern; Cincinnati (whom Montgomery reported as Carondelet) had to be run ashore to avoid sinking. Thus, the Southern rams held off the Federal flotilla until the fort was successfully evacuated on 1 June. They then retired to Memphis to refuel.

Quickly following up the capture of Ft. Pillow, Union Flag Officer Charles H. Davis appeared off Memphis in force on 6 June. Montgomery, cornered without coal enough to retreat to Vicksburg, yet unwilling to scuttle his fleet, fought it out desperately in the Battle of Memphis. General Sumter rammed and seriously damaged Queen of the West, but eventually most of the Confederate vessels were destroyed or surrendered. General Sumter did not sink; badly shot up, she ran on the Arkansas shore, was captured, refloated, and renamed Sumter by the Union Navy. In August, she grounded again, downriver off Bayou Sara, La., and was abandoned except for spare-part raids on her machinery by the rest of the squadron at periods of low water. Before the local populace completed stripping her, Confederate authorities succeeded in setting fire to the hulk.

*** U.S.S. Osceola ***

The first Osceola, a wooden, side-wheel, double-ended gunboat was launched 29 May 1863 by Curtis and Tilden, Boston; delivered to the Navy at the Boston Navy Yard 9 January 1864; and commissioned there 10 February 1864, Comdr. J. M. B. Cletz in command.

Osceola departed Boston 22 April, towing monitor Canonicus, and reached Hampton Roads 3 May. The next night, the double-ender got underway up the James River in a joint Army-Navy expedition and helped clear a safe path through the Confederate mine field for sister ships and Army transports. The troops landed at Bermuda Hundred, Va. in an operation helping Grant to tighten his squeeze on Richmond.

In ensuing months Osceola continued operations on the James River supporting Grant’s relentless offensive. She and Miami drove off Southern batteries which were firing on Union transports near Harrison’s Landing, Va. This and similar Naval efforts to protect Grant’s lines of supply and communications contributed greatly to the success of the campaign against the Confederate capital.

Late in December, Osceola steamed down the coast for the joint attack on Ft. Fisher which protected Wilmington. The Union troops withdrew from their beachheads on Christmas Day, but the Naval commander, Rear Adm. Porter was not to be denied. He returned to the Cape Fear River 13 January and, after 3 days fighting, Ft. Fisher fell.

Osceola decommissioned at Boston Navy Yard 13 May 1865 and was sold at auction 1 October 1867.

Monitor Vixen, originally named Neosho (q.v.), was renamed Osceola 2 August 1869.

*** U.S.S. Columbia ***

The second Columbia, a screw steamer was captured 3 August 1862 by Santiago de Cuba while running the blockade off the coast of Florida; purchased by the Navy from the Key West Prize Court 4 November 1862; outfitted at New York Navy Yard; and commissioned sometime in December, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant J. P. Couthouy in command.

While serving with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington, N.C., Columbia ran aground and was wrecked off Masonboro Inlet 14 January 1863. Forty men of her crew, including her commanding officer, were captured by the Confederates.

(Note - The first U.S.S. Columbia was a sailing vessel)

Here is their website:

http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/index.html

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Galleon_Hunter:

allen_idaho beat me to it! I was going to recommend the multi-volume "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships." However, I did not know that it is available on-line.

Wreckhunters: Bookmarkthis site that allen_idao has so kindly shared with us!

Galleon Hunter has pointed out the single greatest problem with shipwreck and treasure research: Authors who simply copy the work of previous writers who never bothered to go back to something approaching original research.

Years ago I wrote an article for Sea Classics Magazine about the Rouse Simmons, Lake Michigan's "Christmas Tree Ship." I was going through microfilm copies of the Chicago Tribune looking for contemporary articles about the loss. I went through all the December issues. Nothing. Then the November issues. Nothing. Finally I did some more research and discovered that Dwight Boyer had gotten the year wrong!

Now we all make mistakes - I've made (and published) my share. Many authors mis-spelled the Captain's difficult name. But to get the year wrong! Wow!

Galleon Hunter: You might also check The Lytle (-Holdcamper) List and Erik Heyl's Early American Steamers if the vessel was originally civilian and then sold or otherwise taken by the US Navy.

 

[barney]

The bottom line in doing any research is always be skeptical. I have been burned many times by incorrect information. Even the USN has erroneous information in DANFS. In any case, that's why research is soooo muuuccch fuuunnn....

 

[rgecy]

Great resources guys. Yes, my first thought was there may have been several with the same name.

Just as an example, there were three steamships named City of Savannah built between 1877 and 1907.

Here is another great site to bookmark for research.

http://www.theshipslist.com/

We really need to start a post that we could bookmark at the top of the shipwreck forum with nothing but shipwreck research sites.

Robert

 

[chipveres]

Re the steamer Havana: Almost certain the burning occurred at Deadman Bay, Florida which is the mouth of the Steinhatchee River. According to historycentral.com , USS Isilda was on patrol on the west coast of Florida at the time. Other place names given are Cedar Keys, Crystal River and Anclote Keys. All in Florida.

Chip V.