George W. Blunt, completed in 1856, was a schooner built in New York that operated as a New York Sandy Hookpilot boat designated Pilot Boat No. 11.[note 1] The schooner was used to pilot vessels to and from the Port of New York and New Jersey. That schooner was sold to the United States Navy in 1861, renamed and commissioned as the USSG. W. Blunt(1856), serving in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in the South. A second schooner, also named George W. Blunt, was built in East Boston in 1861 and purchased to replace the first schooner as a pilot boat.[2][3]
The original George W. Blunt was a two-masted, 85-foot long, 122-ton schooner, 20 tons larger than any other boat in the Sandy Hook fleet.[1][4] The cabin was finished with bird's eye maple, mirrors, and velvet brocade cushions. The stern was ornamented with a scroll and shield which displayed the national flags of America, England and France.[1] According to American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping, the George W. Blunt was built in New York, in 1856 for the New York Pilots. James Callahan was master of the boat.[5]
As the original pilot-boat, the George W. Blunt, was in service with the N.Y. Pilots and rescued boats off the coast of New York.[6] On October 10, 1860, New York Sandy Hook Pilot A. C. Malcom, of the pilot boat G. W. Blunt, No. 11, signed a statement along with other pilots, that they were satisfied with the representation of the New York Board of Commissioners of Pilots.[7]
Civil War
On November 23, 1861, during the Civil War, the George W. Blunt was purchased by the United States Navy as a gunboat and dispatch boat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways. The schooner was renamed G. W. Blunt and commissioned 4 December 1861.[2][3][8][9]
On April 19, 1862, the 60-ton Confederate schooner Wave under Captain Ryan, was captured by the pilot-boat George W. Blunt off the coast of South Carolina.[10][11]
Second George W. Blunt pilot boat
A replacement pilot boat, built in July 1861, was purchased from Boston builders Brown & Lovell[12] to take the place of the original George W. Blunt, which was sold to the government during the Civil War.[2][3][13][14] The 75-foot vessel (tonnage variously given as 120t and 52t, but types of measure unspecified) was purchased by Henderson & Callahan of New York for $8,000 was described as a fast sailer, and registered at New York to the New York Pilots with Official Number 10423.[2][15]
In 1874, this George W. Blunt, rescued the barkAlfred at sea during a storm that brought the boat safely into New York port.[16][17]
In February 1875, the pilot boat George W. Blunt sprang a leak off Gay Head and was run ashore at Jones Inlet, twenty-eight miles from Sandy Hook and was reported to have become a total loss. She had on board the following pilots: John Handran, Thomas Murphy, Robert Yates, Edward Kelly, James Heines, and Michael O'Shaughnessy. Her value was estimated at $10,000, which only $1,400 was covered by insurance.[18][14]
USS G. W. Blunt
USS G. W. Blunt was a Sandy Hookpilot boat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War in 1861.[19][20] She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat as well as a dispatch boat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways. Towards the war's end, she was reconfigured as a rescue and salvage ship. Her new task was to remove many of the shipwrecks, hulks, and other in-water debris of war. The G. W. Blunt was decommissioned on 16 August 1865 at Port Royal and was sold there on 20 October 1865.[20]
The G. W. Blunt was a wooden two-masted schooner built by Daniel Westervelt in New York and launched 6 September 1856. The schooner was acquired by the Navy Department in New York City on 23 November 1861 by George D. Morgan, who was the purchase agent for the U.S. government. The cost was $10,000.[21] As a result of this purchase, the Sandy Hook pilots had a replacement boat built in July 1861, from Boston builders Brown & Lovell[22][23] She was commissioned on 4 December 1861 and acting Master was Henry Sherwood who was in command.[19][20][24]
Cruising on Charleston station on 1864, the G. W. Blunt was sent to Port Royal on 7 August 1864 and on 25 August was fitted with diving equipment for salvage duty. She worked on many wrecks, including Constance on 13 November and the USSHousatonic, (sunk 17 February 1864 by Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley) from 15 to 19 November. She was sent to Savannah, Georgia, on 1 March 1865 to clear obstructions from the harbor, and returned to Charleston 1 April 1865.[20][25]
123Naval History And Heritage Command (July 9, 2015). "G. W. Blunt". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 31 August 2020. G. W. Blunt, formerly Blunt, was a wooden two-masted schooner acquired by the Navy in New York 23 November 1861.
↑"Maritime Intelligence, Arrived". New York Herald. 1859-12-08. p.8. Retrieved 2020-09-07. Brig Jacob Dock...was taken in tow by pilot boat Geo W Blunt, No 11... and towed to the city.
123456Naval History And Heritage Command (9 July 2015). "G. W. Blunt". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
↑Causing some confusion is the second pilot boat, replacing the 1856 schooner and named George W. Blunt, constructed in 1861 by Brown & Lovell of East Boston, Massachusetts, and delivered to the owners of the first schooner.
↑"New Pilot Boat". New-York Daily Times. 17 December 1856. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
↑Naval History And Heritage Command (20 July 2015). "Housatonic I (ScSlp)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History And Heritage Command. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
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