Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks

265 Pages·2008·8.12 MB·English

by  W. Craig Gaines

encyclopedia of
Civil War
ShipWreCkS
W. Craig Gaines
encyclopedia of
Civil War
ShipWreCkS

encyclopedia of
Civil War
ShipWreCkS
W. Craig Gaines
Louisiana State University Press Baton Rouge
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 2008 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing
Designer: Barbara Neely Bourgoyne
Typeface: Goudy, display; Minion Pro, text
Printer and binder: Maple-Vail
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gaines, W. Craig, 1953–
Encyclopedia of Civil War shipwrecks / W. Craig Gaines.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8071-3274-6 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. United States—History—Civil War,
1861–1865—Naval operations—Encyclopedias. 2. United States—History—Civil War,
1861–1865—Antiquities—Encyclopedias. 3. Shipwrecks—United States—History—
19th century—Encyclopedias. I. Title.
E591.G35 2008
973.7'5—dc22
2007019754
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council
on Library Resources. ∞
This book is dedicated to my wonderful wife, Arla,
who accompanied me to numerous libraries, Civil War battle sites,
and museums during the writing of this work.
I also dedicate this book to the memory of
the soldiers, sailors, and civilians whose legacies live on within these pages.

Contents
Preface ix Maine 77
Abbreviations xiii Maryland 78
Massachusetts 79
Alabama 1 Mexico 80
Arkansas 8 Michigan 81
Atlantic Ocean 12 Minnesota 81
Azores 17 Mississippi 82
Bahamas 18 Mississippi River 89
Bering Sea 20 Missouri River and Tributaries 105
Bermuda 21 New Jersey 108
Big Sandy River 22 New York 109
Brazil 23 North Carolina 110
California 24 Ohio River 133
Canada 32 Oklahoma 137
Caribbean Waters 33 Oregon 138
Central America 34 Pacific Area 139
China 34 Pennsylvania 139
Connecticut 35 Rhode Island 140
East Indies 35 South Carolina 141
European Waters 36 Tennessee 158
Florida 37 Texas 165
Georgia 46 Virginia 173
Gulf of Mexico 52 Washington 194
Illinois 53 West Virginia 195
Indiana 53 Wisconsin 195
Indian Ocean 54 Shipwrecks of Unknown Location 196
Kentucky 54
Lake Erie 55 Bibliography 199
Lake Huron 56 Index of Shipwrecks 207
Lake Michigan 57
Lake Superior 57
Louisiana 57 Illustrations follow page 76

Preface
I wanted to write this book on Civil War shipwrecks from Unknown Location” section near the end of the book have
the time I was in the sixth grade. When I began, I thought no location given where they were lost in the information
there would just be a few hundred shipwrecks, but I was I reviewed.
wrong. This book covers more than two thousand Ameri- Otherwise, I divided the shipwrecks in this book into
can or American Civil War period–related shipwrecks geographic location by state, country, or body of water, as
between the years 1861 and 1865. It is likely that I failed to seemed most logical to me. Because rivers meander over
find information on a few shipwrecks, but I feel confident the years and are often dividing lines for states, I often list
that the vast majority of wrecks related to the Civil War shipwrecks in river sections, since it is sometimes unclear
are included. For some shipwrecks I found very limited in which state a shipwreck occurred. I list vessels without
information, while in the case of others there is much names, with unknown names, and with names I could not
published and unpublished material. locate under “Vessels without Names”—by vessel type—at
In this book shipwreck means a vessel sunk, scuttled, the end of each geographic section.
burned, grounded, lost, capsized, missing, blown up, one In general location names at the time of the shipwreck
that collided with another vessel or object and sank, or are used in the book. Many place names have changed
one that was generally made unusable without salvage since the Civil War. Some towns have disappeared. Riv-
and substantial repairs. Vessels temporarily grounded or ers have moved or meandered, often leaving shipwrecks
beached have generally been excluded. For several vessels below dry land. The metropolis of New York is listed as
it was difficult to decide whether or not they were ship- New York City, and well-known cities are often referenced
wrecks. Some blockade-runners listed as sunk in Union or without their state (e.g., Boston without Mass.).
Confederate records were actually grounded and quickly Vessels often had several names over their careers.
refloated. Examples of vessels that experienced temporary Each vessel’s name when it was sunk or its most common
groundings are the blockade-runners Annie and Ranger name is listed first, and its previous names or nicknames
off Cape Fear, North Carolina, and the Havelock and Fla- are listed in parentheses. Some vessel names are pre–Civil
mingo off Charleston, South Carolina. Rowboats, small War, and a few names were post–Civil War names, in
boats, most ferries, and canoes are excluded because of cases in which the vessel was raised and refitted. Some
their small size. Several very small sloops and schooners vessels served in both the Union and Confederate navies
are included, as they were listed in the Union or Confed- or as commercial vessels on both sides. Blockade-runner
erate official records. names were frequently changed to deceive Union spies, so
The entries are formatted to get as much information in there is frequently some confusion regarding their names.
as little space as possible. Each entry provides an overview A number of vessels had the same name. It is likely that
of a shipwreck. There is a wealth of information on Civil several vessels are listed twice if they had different data as-
War shipwrecks, with more becoming available all the sociated with different names. I have noted where I think
time because of continuing cultural resources exploration. there may be multiple listings of the same vessel.
Environmental and cultural resources laws have resulted At the start of each entry I have noted whether the ves-
in a number of investigations that have discovered many sel was in Union or Confederate service or, if neither, what
shipwrecks from the Civil War period in recent years. its nationality was (unless it is unknown). Vessels listed as
I did my best to determine the site of each shipwreck “USS” served in the Union navy or United States Navy,
from various sources, but some locations are vague or while those listed as “CSS” were part of the Confederate
unknown. The vessels I have listed in the “Shipwrecks of navy. Vessels noted as “Union” were American vessels un-