USS Commodore Jones (1863)

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Name: USS Commodore Jones
Acquired: 1863
Commissioned: 1 May 1863
Struck: 1864
Fate: Sunk by electric mine 6 May 1864
General characteristics
Type: Gunboat
Displacement: 542 long tons (551 t)
Length: 154 ft (47 m)
Beam: 32 ft 6 in (9.91 m)
Draft: 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 12  kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement: 88
Armament: 4 × 9 in (230 mm) smoothbore guns, 1 × 50-pounder rifle, 2 × 30-pounder rifles, 4 × 24-pounder guns

USS Commodore Jones (1863) 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.

Union Navy United States Navy during the American Civil War

The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were under the control of the United States Army, also called the Union Army.

American Civil War Civil war in the United States from 1861 to 1865

The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.

Draft (hull) the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (keel)

The draft or draught of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (keel), with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained. Draft determines the minimum depth of water a ship or boat can safely navigate. The draft can also be used to determine the weight of the cargo on board by calculating the total displacement of water and then using Archimedes' principle. A table made by the shipyard shows the water displacement for each draft. The density of the water and the content of the ship's bunkers has to be taken into account. The closely related term "trim" is defined as the difference between the forward and aft drafts.

Contents

She was outfitted by the Union Navy as a heavily armed gunboat and assigned to the blockade of the waterways of the Confederate States of America.

Gunboat naval watercraft designed for bombardment of coastal targets

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.

Confederate States of America (de facto) federal republic in North America from 1861 to 1865

The Confederate States of America, commonly referred to as the Confederacy and the South, was an unrecognized country in North America that existed from 1861 to 1865. The Confederacy was originally formed by seven secessionist slave-holding states—South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas—in the Lower South region of the United States, whose economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture, particularly cotton, and a plantation system that relied upon the labor of African-American slaves.

Purchased in New York City in 1863

Commodore Jones — an armed, side-wheel ferry — was purchased at New York City in 1863 and commissioned on 1 May 1863, Lieutenant Commander J. G. Mitchell in command.

Civil War operations

Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade

Serving with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Commodore Jones operated in Virginia's rivers and on her coast from 11 May 1863. She performed picket and patrol duty, dragged for torpedoes (mines), skirmished with enemy cavalry, shelled shore installations, and captured contraband goods with her shore parties.

Virginia State of the United States of America

Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2018 is over 8.5 million.

Cavalry soldiers or warriors fighting from horseback

Cavalry or horsemen are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the most mobile of the combat arms. An individual soldier in the cavalry is known by a number of designations such as cavalryman, horseman, dragoon, or trooper. The designation of cavalry was not usually given to any military forces that used other animals, such as camels, mules or elephants. Infantry who moved on horseback, but dismounted to fight on foot, were known in the 17th and early 18th centuries as dragoons, a class of mounted infantry which later evolved into cavalry proper while retaining their historic title.

The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold.

She joined in the evacuation of West Point, Virginia from 31 May-1 June, in the expedition up the Mattapony River from 3–7 June, in the Chickahominy River demonstration of 10–13 June, and put to sea in search of CSS Tacony from 13–19 June.

West Point, Virginia Town in Virginia, United States

West Point is an incorporated town in King William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 3,306 at the 2010 census.

Chickahominy River river in the United States of America

The Chickahominy is an 87-mile-long (140 km) river in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. The river, which serves as the eastern border of Charles City County, rises about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Richmond and flows southeast and south to the James River. The river was named after the Chickahominy Indian tribe who lived near the river when it was claimed by English colonists in 1607. Chickahominy descendants live in Charles City County today.

CSS Tacony was originally a bark captured by the Confederate cruiser CSS Clarence during the American Civil War and converted into a Confederate cruiser for commerce raiding.

Commodore Jones strikes a mine and sinks

She patrolled the James River frequently in the course of her service, and there on 6 May 1864, she was destroyed by an electrically-fired mine. [1]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Naval Historical Center

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

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