.gif)
USS Niphon (1863)
Encyclopedia
USS Niphon (1863) was a steam operated vessel acquired by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Niphon, a wooden and iron screw steamer
launched at Boston, Massachusetts, in February 1863, was delivered to the Navy at Boston 22 April 1863; commissioned at Boston Navy Yard
24 April 1863, Acting Ens. Joseph B. Breck in command; and was formally purchased 9 May 1863.
, North Carolina
, which protected Wilmington, North Carolina
, from attack by sea. She captured blockade runner Banshee at New Inlet, North Carolina, 29 July 1863. On 18 August she chased steamer Hebe, carrying drugs, clothing, coffee, and provisions for the Confederacy, and forced the blockade runner aground north of Fort Fisher where she was abandoned. The boats from Niphon were sent to destroy Hebe but were swamped in heavy seas and their crews captured. Then opened fire on Hebe and she was burned to the waterline.
. The next day Niphon captured blockade runner Ella and Annie off Masonboro Inlet
, North Carolina
, attempting to slip in with a cargo of arms and provisions. Trying to escape, the runner rammed Niphon but surrendered to Federal bluejackets who boarded her when the ships had swung broadside. (Note: Ella and Annie was later commissioned in the Union Navy
as
After capturing Ella and Annie, Niphon returned to Boston for repairs, but was back off New Inlet 6 February 1864. On 21 April, Niphon, , and destroyed salt works at Masonboro Sound, North Carolina. On 27 August, Niphon and ventured up Masonboro Inlet to silence a Confederate battery. Landing parties from the ships captured arms, ammunition, and food stuffs. A boat expedition from Niphon landed at Masonboro Inlet 19 September to gain intelligence on the defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina
. They learned that raider CSS Tallahassee
and several blockade runners were at Wilmington. That day Acting Master Edmund Kemble relieved Breck in command.
Late on the night of 29 September, Niphon fired upon Night Hawk as she attempted to run into New Inlet, and observed her go aground. A boat crew led by Acting Ensign Semon boarded the steamer and, under fire from Fort Fisher, set her ablaze and brought off the crew as prisoners.
who, fearful of being captured with her important dispatches, set out in a boat for shore. Her craft overturned in the heavy surf. The crew managed to get ashore; but the lady weighted down by $2,000 in Confederate gold in a pouch around her neck, drowned.
On the last day of October, and Niphon seized another blockade runner named Annie off New Inlet, North Carolina, a British steamer with cargo of tobacco
, cotton
, and turpentine
.
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...
during the American Civil War
American 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...
. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of 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...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Niphon, a wooden and iron screw steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
launched at Boston, Massachusetts, in February 1863, was delivered to the Navy at Boston 22 April 1863; commissioned at Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
24 April 1863, Acting Ens. Joseph B. Breck in command; and was formally purchased 9 May 1863.
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Niphon was first stationed off Fort FisherFort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, which protected Wilmington, North Carolina
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...
, from attack by sea. She captured blockade runner Banshee at New Inlet, North Carolina, 29 July 1863. On 18 August she chased steamer Hebe, carrying drugs, clothing, coffee, and provisions for the Confederacy, and forced the blockade runner aground north of Fort Fisher where she was abandoned. The boats from Niphon were sent to destroy Hebe but were swamped in heavy seas and their crews captured. Then opened fire on Hebe and she was burned to the waterline.
Niphon captures the large blockade runner Ella and Annie
With , Niphon captured steamer Cornubia north of New Inlet 8 November. Cornubia’s papers exposed the whole scheme by which the Confederacy had clandestinely obtained ships in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The next day Niphon captured blockade runner Ella and Annie off Masonboro Inlet
Masonboro Inlet
Masonboro Inlet is an inlet in New Hanover County, North Carolina, separating the town of Wrightsville Beach from Masonboro Island. The inlet was used as a hideout by Confederate blockade runners during the Civil War. The blockade runners would hide in the inlet until nightfall, then sail to the...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, attempting to slip in with a cargo of arms and provisions. Trying to escape, the runner rammed Niphon but surrendered to Federal bluejackets who boarded her when the ships had swung broadside. (Note: Ella and Annie was later 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...
as
After capturing Ella and Annie, Niphon returned to Boston for repairs, but was back off New Inlet 6 February 1864. On 21 April, Niphon, , and destroyed salt works at Masonboro Sound, North Carolina. On 27 August, Niphon and ventured up Masonboro Inlet to silence a Confederate battery. Landing parties from the ships captured arms, ammunition, and food stuffs. A boat expedition from Niphon landed at Masonboro Inlet 19 September to gain intelligence on the defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina
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...
. They learned that raider CSS Tallahassee
CSS Tallahassee
The CSS Tallahassee was a twin-screw steamer and cruiser in the Confederate States Navy, purchased in 1864, and used for commerce raiding off the Atlantic coast.-History:...
and several blockade runners were at Wilmington. That day Acting Master Edmund Kemble relieved Breck in command.
Attacking blockade runners
On the 25th, Niphon, Howquah, and USS Governor Buckingham, in an engagement with blockade runner Lynx and Confederate shore batteries, chased the blazing steamer ashore where she burned until consumed.Late on the night of 29 September, Niphon fired upon Night Hawk as she attempted to run into New Inlet, and observed her go aground. A boat crew led by Acting Ensign Semon boarded the steamer and, under fire from Fort Fisher, set her ablaze and brought off the crew as prisoners.
Mrs. Rose O’Neal Greenhow drowns with a bag of gold around her neck
Niphon ran British blockade runner Condor aground off New Inlet, 1 October, but was prevented from destroying the steamer by intense fire from Fort Fisher. Among the passengers on board Condor was one of the most famous Confederate agents of the war, Mrs. Rose O'Neal GreenhowRose O'Neal Greenhow
Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a renowned Confederate spy. As a leader in Washington, D.C. society during the period to prior the American Civil War, she traveled in important political circles and cultivated friendships with presidents, generals, senators, and high-ranking military officers, using her...
who, fearful of being captured with her important dispatches, set out in a boat for shore. Her craft overturned in the heavy surf. The crew managed to get ashore; but the lady weighted down by $2,000 in Confederate gold in a pouch around her neck, drowned.
Niphon, under fire, saves a stranded Berberry
On the 7th, Union blockader chased blockade runner Annie ashore at New Inlet, under the guns of Fort Fisher, but the 285-ton Federal wooden steamer ran aground herself and was destroyed to prevent capture. Niphon rescued Aster’s crew under a hail of fire from Confederate batteries and towed out , after the Northern steamer had become disabled trying to pull Aster off the shoal.On the last day of October, and Niphon seized another blockade runner named Annie off New Inlet, North Carolina, a British steamer with cargo of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
.