The Last Blockade Runner

1950lemans

First Sergeant
Joined
Jun 23, 2013
Location
Connecticut
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I believe this is supposed to be the last blockade runner in existence. It’s located at Mystic Seaport Museum, CT. It’s a 70 ft., two-mast ship.

She was built in Long Island in 1862, sold to British interests, taken to Nassau and renamed the Alma. On her first attempt to run a cargo of rum, salt and guns into Darien, GA she ran aground and was boarded by a US navy party. Her captain (named Gordon from Maine), six international crewmen and a cabin boy were captured.

Sold at auction, renamed Australia, she served as a Chesapeake Bay coastal transport for eighty years. After that she became a DuPont family yacht. The family donated it to Mystic in 1951 where she was used as a dormitory for sailing classes. Mystic attempted to restore it in 1961 but because it was too costly they built a protective shed to preserve it.

Is this the last one? Are there any others?

Deck view below.

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Looking below deck. There is a stairway built so you can walk around the ruin.

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Some history panels on exhibit.

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Interesting. This vessel isn't on many peoples' radar, certainly not mine. Small sailing vessels like this were very common in the Gulf, too, as they were well-suited to pass in and out of small inlets that the larger steamers couldn't get through.
 
Yupper... the rakish sidewheel Clyde-type steamers get most of the attention (and no wonder; they're cool-looking), but a large part of blockade running was carried out under canvas. Great find!
 
Found another “last blockade runner”, The Virginia currently housed at the Port Columbus CW Naval Museum. It was used as a fishing boat up until 2000. A two-masted schooner, it has been extensively modernized above deck and the museum plans to restore it to its original condition. That’s amazing!

Unfortunately it doesn’t have as much provenance as the Alma, but I guess the museum will do more research on it.

http://onlineathens.com/stories/071600/new_0716000014.shtml#.VieQ5Ct7N0o
 
Thanks. There were two, or possibly three, Almas captured running the blockade during the war. They are likely all three different vessels, as Alma was a common name, but there may be more information worth digging into.
 
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