A VERY Small Steamer

[DaveBrt]

From the QM General's Outgoing Letters Record Book (National Archives)

Richmond, 9th Apl, 1862

Capt. M. H. Crump
AQM Fredericksburg, Va.

Sir,
There is on the Tappahannock a Government Steamer which is required for immediate service on the York River. You will take measures to have it removed as soon as possible and forwarded to this city.
The Steamer being very small, it is represented that it can readily be removed on a wagon. This letter should be presented to the Commanding Officer at Tappahannock, Col. Mallory
A. C. Myers
Q. M. Genl.

 

[alan polk]

Interesting. They had all sorts of wagon set-ups back then and I bet they used something like this, maybe even bigger:

 

[Carronade]

Perhaps a steam launch, similar to the 30-footers Cushing used to attack the Albemarle?

 

[DaveBrt]

Perhaps a steam launch, similar to the 30-footers Cushing used to attack the Albemarle?

A later entry says it was a tow boat for helping moor the shipping near Yorktown.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I've always wondered what qualified as a tug? There are images labeled ' tug ' of varied sizes. One of the smallest here ( can't make out the name- " ThicXXXXXXXXX ". May be at Deep Bottom? Would the steamer mentioned be a tug?

 

[Carronade]

One characteristic of a built-for-the-purpose tug is a long clear afterdeck, which enables the towing bitts to be as far forward as possible. Some modern tugs have the bitts almost amidships.

When a ship turns, it moves around a theoretical pivot point, usually somewhat forward of amidships. For example, if you put the rudder over to port, the stern kicks out to starboard while the bow, forward of the pivot point, turns to port. The closer the towing bitts are to the pivot point, the easier it is for the tug to turn.

 

[Phantom]

Yes, Brev. Brig. General Huson, that is a small steam screw propeller tug. Others might be up to around 150 feet long and fitted with side wheels. The name might be T.H. Champlin, or T.H. Champion. You can clearly see the "t" shaped towing bit forward. I expect there are two more parallel vertical towing bitts just behind the deckhouse. The pipe extending through the roof of the deckhouse nearest the camera is probably the steam escape pipe from the engine below. The smaller pipe sticking up behind the light skiff atop the deckhouse is the galley smoke pipe. The tug was probably a coal burner, but notice the bundle of what looks like split firewood atop the deckhouse for the galley stove.

 

[CrisGer]

I love the smallest steamers..tugs used widely ..the type developed in to an almost standard form that evolved in the high prow standard steam tug seen in East Coast Harbours up to the 1950s.

 

[Seduzal]

Either big or small every ship has an different job to do. Thanks for sharing this awesome story and photos.