USS Curlew (1862)

Last updated

History
US Naval Jack 36 stars.svg US flag 35 stars.svgUnited States
NameCurlew (originally Florence)
Namesake Curlew
AcquiredDecember 17, 1862
CommissionedFebruary 16, 1863
DecommissionedJuly 5, 1865
FateSold, August 17, 1865
General characteristics
Type Stern-wheel steamer, converted into a gunboat
Tonnage196 tons
Length159 ft (48 m)
Beam32 ft 1 in (9.78 m)
Draught4 ft (1.2 m)
Propulsion2x steam engines
Speed4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Armament8x 24-pounder howitzers (February 1863)
ArmourTinclad

USS Curlew was a Union Navy stern-wheel steamer that saw service during the American Civil War. Built in 1862 in Pennsylvania as a civilian vessel, she was purchased by the Union Navy on December 17, 1862. Converted into a tinclad gunboat, she saw service from 1863 to 1865, often serving on the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the Tennessee River. In May 1863, she was involved in a minor action against Confederate forces on the Mississippi River off of the shore of Arkansas. July saw Curlew take part in an expedition up the Red River of the South, the Tensas River, the Black River, and the Ouachita River that captured two steamers and destroyed two more and a sawmill. On May 24, 1864, she dueled with Pratt's Texas Battery while on the Mississippi River, and on November 4 of that same year, was near the action of the Battle of Johnsonville but was unable to join the fighting. Decommissioned on June 5, 1865, she was sold in mid-August and her further career is unknown.

Contents

Construction and characteristics

In 1862, the stern-wheel steamer Florence was constructed at either Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [1] or Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. [2] She had a tonnage of 196 tons, [3] a length of 159 feet (48 m), a beam of 32 feet 1 inch (9.78 m), and a draft of 4 feet (1.2 m). Her two engines and two boilers [2] allowed her to move at a speed of 4 knots (7.4  km/h ; 4.6  mph ). [1] On December 17, she was purchased by the Union Navy for military service in the American Civil War, [1] at a cost of $21,500 while the vessel was at Cincinnati, Ohio. [4] She was converted into a gunboat and renamed Curlew, after a type of bird. [1] Curlew was commissioned on February 16, 1863, with acting Master G. Hentig in command. She was initially armed with eight 24-pounder howitzers, but according to naval historian Paul Silverstone, was instead armed with six 32-pounders and one rifled 20-pounder at a later point during her service history. [2] Curlew became a tinclad, [5] a variant of the ironclad warship with only light metal armor, [6] and was assigned the identification number 12, to be painted on her pilothouse. [5]

Service history

Map showing the Tensas, Red, Ouachita, and Mississippi Rivers, all of which Curlew served on Tensasrivermap.png
Map showing the Tensas, Red, Ouachita, and Mississippi Rivers, all of which Curlew served on

On February 17, 1863, Curlew left Cairo, Illinois, to join the fleet of Admiral David Dixon Porter. She served on patrol duty on the Mississippi River, [1] and in May was reported to be serving on the White River, where she captured four Confederate soldiers. [7] On May 29, Curlew was reported to be under the command of acting Ensign R. A. Turner, [8] as Hentig had been arrested earlier that month. [9] On June 2, she took part in a minor action against Confederate forces on the shore of Arkansas in a Union Army-Navy joint expedition, [1] raiding what was believed to be the position of Confederate troops that had earlier fired on a Union transport. [10] Over the course of a little over a week in mid-July, she was part of a multi-vessel expedition led by Lieutenant Commander Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. that moved into the Red River of the South, Black River, Tensas River, and Ouachita River. The Union ships captured two steamers (one in a tributary of the Black River and the other in the Tensas), destroyed two others, and also destroyed a sawmill, a quantity of lumber, and Confederate supplies. [1] [11] Turner was killed by a provost marshal in August and was replaced by acting Ensign H. B. O'Neill. [12]

From December 23 through January 14, 1864, Curlew saw service on the Ohio River and the Tennessee River, before going to Mound City, Illinois, to be repaired. Leaving Mound City on March 12, she took members of the United States Coast Survey to Grand Gulf, Mississippi. [1] On May 24, Curlew was engaged in an action with Pratt's Texas Battery on the Mississippi River off the coast of Arkansas. The Confederate artillerymen and the Union gunboat dueled for about 20 to 35 minutes, with Curlew taking several hits and firing 28 shots. Curlew signaled with her ship's whistle for the nearby timberclad USS Tyler to come to her aid, but the Confederate artillery left before Tyler arrived. [13] No sailors on Curlew were injured during the fighting. [14]

On May 31, Curlew returned to Mound City before again going on the Mississippi on June 30. Patrolling between Natchez, Mississippi, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, she sometimes skirmished with Confederate land forces. She then moved upriver on October 24 to again serve on the Ohio and the Tennessee. [1] On November 4, Curlew was part of a group of six steamers that came to the aid of the gunboats USS Key West, USS Tawah, and USS Elfin who were heavily engaged with Confederate artillery on shore during the Battle of Johnsonville. The narrowness of the Tennessee River at that location and Confederate shore fire prevented Curlew and the other five would-be relief ships from rescuing Key West, Tawah, and Elfin, and the latter three were destroyed. [15] From February 1865 to mid-June of that year, Curlew was tasked with making surveys of the river near Cairo and Mound City. [1] A military return dated March 1 indicated that Curlew was assigned to the Ninth District of the Mississippi River Squadron, was armed with eight cannons, and was commanded by acting Master M. Hickey, [16] while another dated April 1 listed her as being assigned to special duty, still under the command of Hickey. [17] She was decommissioned on July 5 [2] and sold at an auction on August 17 for $7,600. [4] Her further career is unknown. [2]

Related Research Articles

CSS <i>Tennessee</i> (1863) Ironclad warship built by the Confederate Navy

CSS Tennessee was a casemate ironclad ram built for the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. She served as the flagship of Admiral Franklin Buchanan, commander of the Mobile Squadron, after her commissioning. She was captured in 1864 by the Union Navy during the Battle of Mobile Bay and then participated in the Union's subsequent Siege of Fort Morgan. Tennessee was decommissioned after the war and sold in 1867 for scrap.

USS Glide was a sternwheel steamer that served as a tinclad warship during the American Civil War. Built in 1862, the Union Navy purchased her for military service late that year. After being converted to a tinclad and armed with six 24-pounder Dahlgren guns, she entered service with the Mississippi River Squadron in early January 1863. Later that month, she saw action in the Battle of Arkansas Post, firing on Confederate-held Fort Hindman. Sent the next month to Cairo, Illinois, for repairs, Glide was destroyed in a fire of uncertain origin on February 7.

USS <i>Marmora</i> (1862) Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Marmora was a sternwheel steamer that served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War. Built in 1862 at Monongahela, Pennsylvania, as a civilian vessel, she was purchased for military service on September 17 and converted into a tinclad warship. Commissioned on October 21, the vessel served on the Yazoo River beginning the next month. She encountered Confederate naval mines on the Yazoo on December 11, and was present the next day when the ironclad USS Cairo was sunk by two mines. After further service on the Yazoo during the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in late December, Marmora was assigned in January 1863 to a fleet that was preparing to operate against Confederate Fort Hindman, but was not present when the fort surrendered on January 11.

USS <i>John P. Jackson</i> Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS John P. Jackson was a sidewheel steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the beginning of the American Civil War. Built in 1860, John P. Jackson was used as a ferry by the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. In February 1861, she ferried President-elect Abraham Lincoln on his way to his inauguration. She was purchased for use in the American Civil War on 6 November. Commissioned for military service on 14 February 1862, she was sent to Ship Island. On 4 April, she was part of a battle with Confederate vessels near Pass Christian, Mississippi. That same day, she captured the blockade runner P. C. Wallis. In April, she bombarded Confederate-held Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. Next month, John P. Jackson participated in a scout of Lake Pontchartrain.

USS <i>Fort Hindman</i> Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Fort Hindman was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was placed in service and used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

USS <i>Rattler</i> Steamboat of the Union Navy during the American Civil War

USS Rattler was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Mingoe was a large double-ended, side wheel, ironclad steamer gunboat commissioned by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. With heavy guns and a very fast speed of 11 kn, the ship was intended by the Union Navy for use as a bombardment gunboat. They also stationed it as an interceptor gunboat off Confederate waterways to prevent trading with foreign countries.

USS Tawah was a 108-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Juliet was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.

The first USS Silver Cloud was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Pink was a steamer commissioned by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She served the Union Navy's struggle against the Confederate States of America in various ways: as a tugboat, a gunboat, and as a small transport.

USS <i>Rodolph</i> Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Rodolph was a steamer commissioned by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She served the Union Navy during its struggle against the Confederate States of America, both as a tugboat and a minesweeper, as well as a gunboat when the occasion demanded. Just as the war was ending, Rodolph struck a mine and sank, with four of her crew killed and a number of others wounded.

USS Sidney C. Jones was a schooner that served in the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Built in East Haddam, Connecticut, and launched in April 1856, Sidney C. Jones was intended to be used on trade routes. In October 1861, she was purchased by the Union Navy for military service. Originally intended for service on the Union blockade, she was later converted into a mortar schooner and was armed with a mortar and four other cannons. In April 1862, she participated in the bombardment of Confederate positions at Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. During July, she ran aground while part of a force bombarding Vicksburg, Mississippi, and was blown up by her crew to prevent capture on July 15.

USS <i>Tensas</i> Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Tensas was a small 41-ton steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

CSS General Polk was a sidewheel steamer used as a warship by the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. Launched in 1852 at New Albany, Indiana, as Ed Howard, the vessel was originally a packet steamer between Nashville, Tennessee, and New Orleans, Louisiana. After the outbreak of the war, the Confederate government purchased her for $8,000. She was commissioned into military service on October 22, 1861, and sent to Columbus, Kentucky the following month. On January 11, 1862, General Polk participated in the Battle of Lucas Bend. After the Confederates abandoned Columbus, General Polk served in the Island No. 10 and New Madrid, Missouri, area, until those positions as well fell. She was then stationed at Fort Pillow and Memphis, Tennessee, before withdrawing up the Yazoo River. On June 26, General Polk was burned at Liverpool Landing, Mississippi, along with two other Confederate ships, to prevent their capture by Union forces.

CSS <i>Junaluska</i> Screw steamer tugboat

CSS Junaluska, also known as Younalaska, was a screw steamer tugboat that saw service with the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. Built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860, she was purchased by the Confederates at Norfolk, Virginia, in 1861. Serving off of the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina, she participated in the capture of the gunboat USS Fanny on October 1, 1861, and later in a raid on a Union campsite. She continued to serve along the North Carolina coast until August 1862, when she was sold and broken up.

CSS Tuscarora was a sidewheel steamer that briefly served as a gunboat in the Confederate States Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War. She was about 100 feet (30 m) long, displaced 400 short tons, and was manned by a 25-man crew. The vessel was purchased in 1861 from the Southern Steamship Company by Confederate authorities in New Orleans, Louisiana. Armed with two cannons, Tuscarora was engaged in the Battle of the Head of Passes on October 12, 1861. Ordered up the Mississippi River to Columbus, Kentucky, in November, she was destroyed on November 23, 1861, when a fire of unknown origin started in her boilers and spread to the ship's munitions.

CSS Carondelet was a sidewheel steamer that served in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. Construction for the vessel started in 1861, and she was launched on January 25, 1862, and commissioned on March 16. Her sister ship was CSS Bienville. On April 4, Carondelet, along with CSS Oregon and CSS Pamlico, took part in a small naval action near Pass Christian against USS New London, USS John P. Jackson, and the troop transport USS Henry Lewis. Carondelet suffered damage to her wheel during the fight, and likely fired the only two shots that struck John P. Jackson. Later that month, with the Confederates abandoning New Orleans, Louisiana, Carondelet was scuttled by her crew in either Lake Pontchartrain, the Tchefuncte River, or the Bogue Falaya River.

CSS Pamlico was a sidewheel steamer that served in the Confederate States Navy during the early stages of the American Civil War. Originally a passenger vessel on Lake Pontchartrain, she was purchased by Confederate authorities on July 10, 1861, and converted into a gunboat. She participated in two minor naval actions in the vicinities of Horn Island and Ship Island in December, before taking part in two more small battles defending the Pass Christian area in March and April 1862. In late April, Union Navy ships passed the defenses of New Orleans, Louisiana. After ferrying Confederate troops out of the city, Pamlico was burned by her crew on Lake Pontchartrain on April 25 to prevent capture.

USS Romeo was a sternwheel steamer that saw service as a tinclad warship during the American Civil War. Completed in August 1862 for civilian trade on the Wabash River, she was instead purchased by the Union Navy for military service in October. Commissioned in December, she cleared naval mines on the Yazoo River later that month before participating in the operations against Confederate-held Fort Hindman in January 1863. After the fall of Fort Hindman, Romeo was part of an expedition up the White River. In February and March 1863, she was part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, and she fought with Confederates at river landings later in the year to help isolate Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Curlew I (Stern-wheel Steamer)". Naval History and Heritage Command. July 6, 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Silverstone 1989, p. 171.
  3. ↑ Konstam 2013, p. 38.
  4. 1 2 Official Records 1921, p. 69.
  5. 1 2 Silverstone 1989, p. 165.
  6. ↑ Palucka 2017, p. 73.
  7. ↑ Official Records 1911, pp. 673–674.
  8. ↑ Official Records 1912, p. 141.
  9. ↑ Official Records 1912, pp. 156–157.
  10. ↑ Official Records 1912, p. 158.
  11. ↑ Official Records 1912, p. 264.
  12. ↑ Official Records 1912, p. 384.
  13. ↑ Smith 2021, p. 145.
  14. ↑ Official Records 1914, pp. 323–324.
  15. ↑ Civil War Naval Chronology 1971, pp. IV-129–IV-130.
  16. ↑ Official Records 1917, pp. 76, 78.
  17. ↑ Official Records 1917, pp. 127, 129.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.