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USS Seminole (1859)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Seminole was a steam sloop
in the United States Navy
during the American Civil War
.
Seminole was launched by the Pensacola Navy Yard on 25 June 1859; sponsored by Ms. Mary Dallas; and was commissioned there on 25 April 1860, Commander
Edward R. Thomson in command.
on 16 July 1860 and served on the Brazil Station until called home soon after the outbreak of the American Civil War
. The ship departed Rio de Janeiro
on 23 May 1861 and reached Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on 6 July.
Rapidly fitted out for blockade duty, Seminole was ordered on 16 July to proceed to Hampton Roads
. After reporting for duty in the Atlantic Blockading Squadron
, the ship sailed, via Charleston, South Carolina
, for Savannah, Georgia
. Upon exhausting her coal
on blockade duty off that port, the ship sailed for Hampton Roads on 19 August, towing the prize schooner
Albion, and arrived off Newport News
on the 23rd. A week later, on 30 August, the Confederate
tug
Harmony attacked the Union sailing sloop of war there. Seminole was in the vicinity and returned the fire, but her shells did not reach the Southern ship.
On 9 September, Seminole and sailed for the Potomac River
to check the threat posed by the concentration of a large Confederate force on the south bank of the river below Alexandria
. On the 21st, a boat from Seminole captured the sloop Maryland in the Potomac. Four days later, Seminole and engaged a Confederate battery at Freestone Point, Virginia. After repairs at the Washington Navy Yard
, Seminole returned to Hampton Roads on 16 October where she awaited the arrival of Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont, commander of the newly established South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
On 7 November, Seminole was in the task force which captured Port Royal, South Carolina
. The ships bombarded Forts Walker and Beauregard
and forced the Confederates to abandon them. This gave the Union Navy an invaluable base for blockade operations off South Carolina
, Georgia
, and Florida
. On 1 December, Seminole seized the sloop Lida off St. Simons Sound
, Georgia, attempting to slip into the South laden with coffee, lead, and sugar from Havana
, Cuba
. Early in March, Seminole participated in the expedition which captured Fernandina, Florida.
On 25 March 1862, Seminole was ordered to Hampton Roads to strengthen Union naval forces there which were threatened by the dreaded Confederate ironclad . Control of these strategic waters was especially important at that time because General
George McClellan
was about to launch his Peninsula Campaign
against the Southern capital, Richmond, Virginia
. On 8 May, Seminole joined , , , and in shelling Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point, Virginia. In response, Virginia came out, but not far enough to be rammed. Norfolk, Virginia
was soon abandoned by Southern troops. Late in June, Seminole was ordered to the New York Navy Yard for repairs.
The ship was recommissioned on 8 June 1863 and assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. En route south, she captured the Confederate steamer on 11 July. On 11 September, she took the steamer Sir William Peel off the mouth of the Rio Grande
. This British
merchantman was carrying 1,000 bales of cotton at the time of her capture.
The high point of her service in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron came on 5 August 1864 when she participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay
. She passed the forts guarding the entrance to the bay lashed to but, as the action became general, cast off from her consort. After the Southern ironclad surrendered, prisoners taken from her were taken on board Seminole.
In the days that followed, the ships of Farragut's fleet were busy clearing torpedoes from the waters and bombarding Fort Morgan until it surrendered on the 23rd.
Five days later, Seminole was ordered to Pensacola, Florida
for repairs. On 14 September, the ship was sent to Galveston, Texas
, and she remained active along the coast of Texas
through the end of the war, taking the schooner Josephine, which was attempting to slip out of Galveston laden with cotton on 14 January 1865. Her final action of the war came on 23 May, when she sent a party on board Denbigh and helped to set the blockade runner aflame.
Seminole sailed for the North on 20 July and was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard
on 11 August, where it was laid up until sold on 20 July 1870 to Mullen and Winchester.
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
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...
.
Seminole was launched by the Pensacola Navy Yard on 25 June 1859; sponsored by Ms. Mary Dallas; and was commissioned there on 25 April 1860, Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Edward R. Thomson in command.
Civil War service
Seminole sailed for BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
on 16 July 1860 and served on the Brazil Station until called home soon after the outbreak of 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...
. The ship departed Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on 23 May 1861 and reached Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on 6 July.
Rapidly fitted out for blockade duty, Seminole was ordered on 16 July to proceed to Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
. After reporting for duty in the Atlantic Blockading Squadron
Atlantic Blockading Squadron
The Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to enforce a blockade of the ports of the Confederate States...
, the ship sailed, via 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...
, for Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. Upon exhausting her coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
on blockade duty off that port, the ship sailed for Hampton Roads on 19 August, towing the prize 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....
Albion, and arrived off Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
on the 23rd. A week later, on 30 August, the 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...
tug
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
Harmony attacked the Union sailing sloop of war there. Seminole was in the vicinity and returned the fire, but her shells did not reach the Southern ship.
On 9 September, Seminole and sailed for the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
to check the threat posed by the concentration of a large Confederate force on the south bank of the river below Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. On the 21st, a boat from Seminole captured the sloop Maryland in the Potomac. Four days later, Seminole and engaged a Confederate battery at Freestone Point, Virginia. After repairs at the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
, Seminole returned to Hampton Roads on 16 October where she awaited the arrival of Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont, commander of the newly established South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
On 7 November, Seminole was in the task force which captured Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
. The ships bombarded Forts Walker and Beauregard
Battle of Port Royal
The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina, on November 7, 1861...
and forced the Confederates to abandon them. This gave the Union Navy an invaluable base for blockade operations off South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. On 1 December, Seminole seized the sloop Lida off St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound is a sound in Georgia that lies between Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. It is part of the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Brunswick River to the port at Brunswick, Georgia. The St. Simons lighthouse stands on the north side of the sound....
, Georgia, attempting to slip into the South laden with coffee, lead, and sugar from Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Early in March, Seminole participated in the expedition which captured Fernandina, Florida.
On 25 March 1862, Seminole was ordered to Hampton Roads to strengthen Union naval forces there which were threatened by the dreaded Confederate ironclad . Control of these strategic waters was especially important at that time because General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
George McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
was about to launch his Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
against the Southern capital, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. On 8 May, Seminole joined , , , and in shelling Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point, Virginia. In response, Virginia came out, but not far enough to be rammed. Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
was soon abandoned by Southern troops. Late in June, Seminole was ordered to the New York Navy Yard for repairs.
The ship was recommissioned on 8 June 1863 and assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. En route south, she captured the Confederate steamer on 11 July. On 11 September, she took the steamer Sir William Peel off the mouth of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
. This British
United 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...
merchantman was carrying 1,000 bales of cotton at the time of her capture.
The high point of her service in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron came on 5 August 1864 when she participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay
Battle of Mobile Bay
The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Federal fleet commanded by Rear Adm. David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Adm...
. She passed the forts guarding the entrance to the bay lashed to but, as the action became general, cast off from her consort. After the Southern ironclad surrendered, prisoners taken from her were taken on board Seminole.
In the days that followed, the ships of Farragut's fleet were busy clearing torpedoes from the waters and bombarding Fort Morgan until it surrendered on the 23rd.
Five days later, Seminole was ordered to Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
for repairs. On 14 September, the ship was sent to 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...
, and she remained active along 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...
through the end of the war, taking the schooner Josephine, which was attempting to slip out of Galveston laden with cotton on 14 January 1865. Her final action of the war came on 23 May, when she sent a party on board Denbigh and helped to set the blockade runner aflame.
Seminole sailed for the North on 20 July and was decommissioned at the 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...
on 11 August, where it was laid up until sold on 20 July 1870 to Mullen and Winchester.