USS Princess Royal (1863)
Encyclopedia
Princess Royal was a cruiser
in the United States Navy
during the American Civil War
.
blockade runner
captured at Charleston, South Carolina
on 29 January 1863. She was purchased by the Navy Department
from the Philadelphia Prize court
18 March 1863; fitted out as a cruiser; and commissioned 29 May 1863, Commander Melancthon B. Woolsey
in command.
Assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Princess Royal participated in the engagement
with Confederate forces at Donaldsonville, Louisiana
, 28 June 1863. Then ordered to the Texas
coast, she captured the British schooner
Flying Scud near Matamoros, Tamaulipas
12 August, and assisted in seizing the schooner Wave 22 August. Continuing her patrols into 1864 she took Neptune off Brazoa de Santiago, 19 November 1864; ran down the schooner Flash six days later; seized the schooner Alabama
, 7 December; and captured Cora off Galveston, 19 December.
On 7 February 1865, she assisted in the capture of her last prize, the schooner Anna Sophia in Galveston Bay
. Five months later Princess Royal was ordered north, arriving at Philadelphia 21 July. She was sold at public auction
17 August 1865.
, Pyongyang. Due to heavy rains in the region and the varying water levels along the river, the SS General Sherman ran aground near Pyongyang. The crew on the General Sherman attempted to trade with the local officials there but refused all trade offers. Soon after this the Joseon Dynasty heard about the ship being aground in their waters and ordered the crew of the General Sherman to leave Korea.
After this the Koreans opened fire on the ship and a battle ensued for the next four days, ending with the General Sherman being set ablaze and the crew all hacked to death.
Even though this incident is recorded in Korean history and would later be the catalyst for the US expedition to Korea in 1871, US Navy records state that the ship was active until the 10 January 1874, when she sank off Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
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...
.
Service
Princess Royal was a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
captured at Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
on 29 January 1863. She was purchased by the Navy Department
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
from the Philadelphia Prize court
Prize 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...
18 March 1863; fitted out as a cruiser; and commissioned 29 May 1863, Commander Melancthon B. Woolsey
Melancthon Brooks Woolsey
Melancthon Brooks Woolsey was an officer in the United States Navy during and after the American Civil War. He was commodore of the South Atlantic Station in the 1870s.-Biography:...
in command.
Assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Princess Royal participated in the engagement
Second Battle of Donaldsonville
The Second Battle of Donaldsonville was an American Civil War battle took place on June 28, 1863 in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.-Background:On June 28, 1863, Confederate Brig. Gen. Jean Alfred Mouton ordered Brig. Gen. Tom Green's and Col. James Patrick Major's brigades to take Donaldsonville,...
with Confederate forces at Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...
, 28 June 1863. Then ordered to 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, she captured the British 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....
Flying Scud near Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
12 August, and assisted in seizing the schooner Wave 22 August. Continuing her patrols into 1864 she took Neptune off Brazoa de Santiago, 19 November 1864; ran down the schooner Flash six days later; seized the schooner Alabama
CSS Alabama
CSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead, United Kingdom, in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company. Alabama served as a commerce raider, attacking Union merchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never anchored in...
, 7 December; and captured Cora off Galveston, 19 December.
On 7 February 1865, she assisted in the capture of her last prize, the schooner Anna Sophia in Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
. Five months later Princess Royal was ordered north, arriving at Philadelphia 21 July. She was sold at public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
17 August 1865.
Post war
In July 1866 the SS General Sherman entered Korean waters and attempted to travel upriver to the capital of the Joseon DynastyJoseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
, Pyongyang. Due to heavy rains in the region and the varying water levels along the river, the SS General Sherman ran aground near Pyongyang. The crew on the General Sherman attempted to trade with the local officials there but refused all trade offers. Soon after this the Joseon Dynasty heard about the ship being aground in their waters and ordered the crew of the General Sherman to leave Korea.
After this the Koreans opened fire on the ship and a battle ensued for the next four days, ending with the General Sherman being set ablaze and the crew all hacked to death.
Even though this incident is recorded in Korean history and would later be the catalyst for the US expedition to Korea in 1871, US Navy records state that the ship was active until the 10 January 1874, when she sank off Cape Fear, North Carolina.
External links
- USS Princess Royal (1863-1865) - Naval Historical Center
- The Strange Saga of the General Sherman
- Translation from South Korea's 9th grade textbooks. Translated by Artemis