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USS Penobscot (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Penobscot was a built for the United States 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.
, was launched 19 November 1861 and delivered to the Navy at Boston, Massachusetts, 16 January 1862. Assigned initially to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Penobscot destroyed her first Confederate
vessel, the schooner
Sereta, grounded and abandoned off Shallotte Inlet, North Carolina
, 8 June 1862.
On 1 August she seized sloop
Lizzie off New Inlet and on 22 October British brig Robert Burns off Cape Fear. Again off Shallotte Inlet 3 November, she forced the British ship Pathfinder aground, then destroyed her. On May 22, 1863 she pursued a Confederate steamer trying to run the blockade near Fort Fisher, Wilmington NC. One shell reached the ship and crashed into the stateroom of the Surgeon, Dr. Edward Pierson of New Jersey . A splinter of wood fractured the doctor's occipital bone and he died two hours later. Continuing her patrol of the Carolina coast into the summer of 1863, she forced blockade runner Kate ashore at Smith’s Island 12 July.
, Penobscot joined the blockade ships cruising off the Texas
coast. In early January 1864, she provided support for troops landed on the Matagorda Peninsula
on 31 December. On 28 February she seized Lilly, a British schooner attempting to run the blockade at Velasco, Texas
, to deliver her cargo of powder, and the next day captured schooners Stingray and John Douglas, outward bound with cargoes of cotton
. On 12 July, off Galveston, Texas
, the “ninety-day” gunboat
intercepted the schooner James Williams with a cargo of medicine, coffee, and liquor.
and on the 19th sent a boat crew to destroy them.
31 July 1865 and on 19 October 1869 was sold, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire
, to Nehemiah Gibson.
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.
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade
Penobscot, built in ninety days by C.P. Carter, Belfast, MaineBelfast, Maine
Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 6,668. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River on Penobscot Bay, Belfast is the county seat of Waldo County...
, was launched 19 November 1861 and delivered to the Navy at Boston, Massachusetts, 16 January 1862. Assigned initially to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Penobscot destroyed her first Confederate
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...
vessel, the 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....
Sereta, grounded and abandoned off Shallotte Inlet, 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...
, 8 June 1862.
On 1 August she seized sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Lizzie off New Inlet and on 22 October British brig Robert Burns off Cape Fear. Again off Shallotte Inlet 3 November, she forced the British ship Pathfinder aground, then destroyed her. On May 22, 1863 she pursued a Confederate steamer trying to run the blockade near Fort Fisher, Wilmington NC. One shell reached the ship and crashed into the stateroom of the Surgeon, Dr. Edward Pierson of New Jersey . A splinter of wood fractured the doctor's occipital bone and he died two hours later. Continuing her patrol of the Carolina coast into the summer of 1863, she forced blockade runner Kate ashore at Smith’s Island 12 July.
Gulf of Mexico operations
Shifted then to the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Penobscot joined the blockade ships cruising off the 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...
coast. In early January 1864, she provided support for troops landed on the Matagorda Peninsula
Matagorda Island
Matagorda Island, Spanish for "thick brush," is a 38 mile long barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast, about seven miles south of Port O'Connor, in the southernmost part of Calhoun County. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, and...
on 31 December. On 28 February she seized Lilly, a British schooner attempting to run the blockade at Velasco, Texas
Velasco, Texas
Velasco was a town in Texas, United States, that was later annexed by the city of Freeport. Founded in 1831, Velasco is situated on the east side of the Brazos River in southeast Texas. It is sixteen miles south of Angleton, Texas, and four miles from the Gulf of Mexico.The town's early history is...
, to deliver her cargo of powder, and the next day captured schooners Stingray and John Douglas, outward bound with cargoes of 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....
. On 12 July, off Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, the “ninety-day” gunboat
Gunboat
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.-History:...
intercepted the schooner James Williams with a cargo of medicine, coffee, and liquor.
Penobscot’s final operations of the war
By 1865 the Union stranglehold had achieved its purpose. The South was suffering for the materials necessary to wage war. On 18 February Penobscot made her last interceptions. She forced the schooners Mary Agnes and Louisa ashore at Aransas PassAransas Pass
The second lighthouse in Texas was built at Aransas Pass by the United States government to protect shipping in Aransas Bay.Aransas Pass was originally pictured as becoming a major Texas hub of commerce and travel with rail links to the harbor and harbor links by ships to Mexico, New York and other...
and on the 19th sent a boat crew to destroy them.
Post-war activity and final decommissioning and sale
After the war Penobscot returned to the U.S. East Coast. She decommissioned at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
31 July 1865 and on 19 October 1869 was sold, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, to Nehemiah Gibson.