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USS Sunflower (1863)
Encyclopedia
USS Sunflower (1863) was a 294 ton steamer
acquired by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
.
Sunflower was used as a gunboat
by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
in order to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
purchased at Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 May 1863 -- was commissioned on 29 April 1863, Acting Master Edward Sice in command.
, in mid-May 1863. On the 31st, she seized schooner
Echo and a cargo of cotton
off the Marquesas Keys
.
The gunboat captured schooner Pushmatatta off Tortugas on 13 June and schooner General Worth in the straits of Florida
on 27 August. Sunflower aided Beauregard
in seizing sloop
Last Trial on 6 October. On Christmas Eve 1863, she captured blockade runner Hancock near the lighthouse
at Tampa Bay
with a cargo of salt and borax
.
, to Havana, Cuba, with a cargo of cotton when she was intercepted. Sunflower, with Honduras
and /. L. Adams, supported the capture of Tampa, Florida
, in a combined operation from 4 to 7 May. These Union ships transported Northern soldiers to Tampa and also provided naval landing parties which participated in the assault. On the 6th, the three ships captured sloop Neptune which was carrying a cargo of cotton, when she attempted to run the blockade
On 2 June, Sunflower landed three armed boats to destroy salt works at Tampa Bay. The last ship to fall prey to Sunflower was Pickwick, captured off St. George's Sound on 6 December 1864. On 30 March 1865, she and Somerset
landed an expedition at St. Joseph's Bayou and destroyed salt works.
, and was decommissioned there on 3 June 1865. The ship was sold at auction on 10 August 1865.
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...
acquired by 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...
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...
.
Sunflower was used as a 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:...
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...
in order to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Purchased in Massachusetts in 1863
Sunflower -- a screw gunboatGunboat
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:...
purchased at Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 May 1863 -- was commissioned on 29 April 1863, Acting Master Edward Sice in command.
Assigned to the East Gulf Blockade
Sunflower was assigned to the East Gulf Blockading Squadron and arrived at Key West, FloridaKey West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, in mid-May 1863. On the 31st, she seized 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....
Echo and a cargo 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....
off the Marquesas Keys
Marquesas Keys
The Marquesas Keys form an uninhabited island group about 30 miles west of Key West, 4 miles in diameter, and inhabited by mangrove. They are an unincorporated area of Monroe County, Florida and belong to the Lower Keys Census County Division. They are protected as part of the Key West National...
.
The gunboat captured schooner Pushmatatta off Tortugas on 13 June and schooner General Worth in the straits of Florida
Straits of Florida
The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The strait carries the Florida Current, the beginning of...
on 27 August. Sunflower aided Beauregard
USS Beauregard (1861)
USS Beauregard was a captured Confederate schooner acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War. She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.- Captured...
in seizing 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....
Last Trial on 6 October. On Christmas Eve 1863, she captured blockade runner Hancock near the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...
with a cargo of salt and borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
.
Florida operations
Sunflower remained on patrol during 1864 and, on 24 March, captured sloop Josephine in Sarasota Sound. Josephine was en route from Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, to Havana, Cuba, with a cargo of cotton when she was intercepted. Sunflower, with Honduras
USS Honduras (1861)
USS Honduras was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.The Union Navy commissioned her as a supply ship and dispatch boat who task was to support the Navy ships blockading the Confederate States of America....
and /. L. Adams, supported the capture of Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, in a combined operation from 4 to 7 May. These Union ships transported Northern soldiers to Tampa and also provided naval landing parties which participated in the assault. On the 6th, the three ships captured sloop Neptune which was carrying a cargo of cotton, when she attempted to run the blockade
On 2 June, Sunflower landed three armed boats to destroy salt works at Tampa Bay. The last ship to fall prey to Sunflower was Pickwick, captured off St. George's Sound on 6 December 1864. On 30 March 1865, she and Somerset
USS Somerset (1862)
USS Somerset was a wooden-hulled, side-wheel ferryboat built at Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1862, which was purchased by the Navy at Washington, D. C., on 4 March 1862 and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 3 April 1862, Lt...
landed an expedition at St. Joseph's Bayou and destroyed salt works.
End-of-war decommissioning and sale
Sunflower sailed to Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and was decommissioned there on 3 June 1865. The ship was sold at auction on 10 August 1865.