.gif)
SS Cornubia (ship)
Encyclopedia
The SS Cornubia was built in Hayle
, Cornwall
, by Harvey & Co.
in 1858 as a packet ship
and ferry for the Hayle Steam Packet Company. Sleek and painted white, with two funnels mounted close together amidships and with a high bridge over her paddle wheel
s, she plied the Hayle/St Ives
to Bristol
route in the days when the Great Western Railway
had not penetrated as far as West Cornwall.
She was given the name Cornubia from the Latinised name for Cornwall and was a fast iron paddle steamer
, long and narrow at 210 ft (64 m) long and with a 24 in 6 in (7.47 m) beam. Her Harveys-built twin oscillating side-wheel engines with four boilers and 9 ft (2.7 m) stroke produced 230 hp and was capable of propelling the vessel at over 18 kn (21.9 mph; 35.3 km/h). Her shallow, 9 ft (2.7 m) draft
was initially designed to cope with the shallow harbours in Cornwall, but proved to be very useful in her later life.
, agents for the Confederacy
purchased Cornubia and took her over the Atlantic where she was officially renamed Lady Davis though by all accounts her old name Cornubia was also commonly used.
She proved to be a very good investment. Her speed, manoeuvrability and shallow draft making her an excellent blockade runner
. She successfully avoided and outran Union
forces on 22 occasions bringing vital supplies to the confederate army at Wilmington
.
On her 23rd run on 8 November 1863, however luck ran out for Cornubia. She was pursued by and was forced to run up onto the beach at New Inlet. The ship's captain, Richard Gayle, the ship's carpenter and one seaman remained onboard and helped other crew and passengers to escape to shore.
Later that same day, arrived on the scene and on the rising tide towed the still-intact Cornubia free. She was then sent to Boston as a Prize together with the bags of waterlogged mail. The abandoned mail proved to be a vital aid to the Union, gaining an insight into the Confederacy plans and in particularly the role that British seamen were taking in blockade running.
and then commissioned in the Union Navy
on 17 March 1864 and assigned to the role of blockading the waters around Mobile and Pensacola, before later being reassigned to the coast of Texas
. The blockade runner had now become a blockader.
On 21 April 1865, Cornubia captured the blockade-running schooner
Chaos. On 24 May, Cornubia captured the guard boat Le Compt where a cache of arms was found. Later the same day, Cornubia assisted in the pursuit and sinking of the Confederate steamer Denbigh.
Following the evacuation of Galveston on 22 May, Cornubia was put on duty removing the harbour obstructions. On 3 August, Cornubia was officially decommissioned from the Union Navy and was sold on 25 October.
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, by Harvey & Co.
John Harvey (ironfounder)
John Harvey was a Cornishman whose career started as a blacksmith and engineer at Carnhell Green near Hayle, in West Cornwall. In 1779 he established a foundry and engineering works at Hayle called Harvey & Co. By 1800 the company employed more than 50 people and continued to grow as Harvey worked...
in 1858 as a packet ship
Packet ship
A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. In sea transport, a packet service is a regular, scheduled service, carrying freight and passengers...
and ferry for the Hayle Steam Packet Company. Sleek and painted white, with two funnels mounted close together amidships and with a high bridge over her paddle wheel
Paddle wheel
A paddle wheel is a waterwheel in which a number of scoops are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several usages.* Very low lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about height above the water source....
s, she plied the Hayle/St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
route in the days when the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
had not penetrated as far as West Cornwall.
She was given the name Cornubia from the Latinised name for Cornwall and was a fast iron paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, long and narrow at 210 ft (64 m) long and with a 24 in 6 in (7.47 m) beam. Her Harveys-built twin oscillating side-wheel engines with four boilers and 9 ft (2.7 m) stroke produced 230 hp and was capable of propelling the vessel at over 18 kn (21.9 mph; 35.3 km/h). Her shallow, 9 ft (2.7 m) draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
was initially designed to cope with the shallow harbours in Cornwall, but proved to be very useful in her later life.
Confederate Navy Service
During the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, agents for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
purchased Cornubia and took her over the Atlantic where she was officially renamed Lady Davis though by all accounts her old name Cornubia was also commonly used.
She proved to be a very good investment. Her speed, manoeuvrability and shallow draft making her an excellent blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
. She successfully avoided and outran Union
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
forces on 22 occasions bringing vital supplies to the confederate army at Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
.
On her 23rd run on 8 November 1863, however luck ran out for Cornubia. She was pursued by and was forced to run up onto the beach at New Inlet. The ship's captain, Richard Gayle, the ship's carpenter and one seaman remained onboard and helped other crew and passengers to escape to shore.
Later that same day, arrived on the scene and on the rising tide towed the still-intact Cornubia free. She was then sent to Boston as a Prize together with the bags of waterlogged mail. The abandoned mail proved to be a vital aid to the Union, gaining an insight into the Confederacy plans and in particularly the role that British seamen were taking in blockade running.
Union Navy Service
Cornubia was purchased from the Boston Prize courtPrize court
A prize court is a court authorized to consider whether or not a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the terms of the seizing ship's letters of marque and reprisal...
and then commissioned in the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
on 17 March 1864 and assigned to the role of blockading the waters around Mobile and Pensacola, before later being reassigned to the coast of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The blockade runner had now become a blockader.
On 21 April 1865, Cornubia captured the blockade-running schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Chaos. On 24 May, Cornubia captured the guard boat Le Compt where a cache of arms was found. Later the same day, Cornubia assisted in the pursuit and sinking of the Confederate steamer Denbigh.
Following the evacuation of Galveston on 22 May, Cornubia was put on duty removing the harbour obstructions. On 3 August, Cornubia was officially decommissioned from the Union Navy and was sold on 25 October.