"Sassacus" class double-ended gunboats

Borderruffian

1st Lieutenant
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Location
Marshfield Missouri
During the war there were twenty-seven "Sassacus" class double-ended gunboats placed in commission. These vessels were specially constructed for service on narrow inland waterways, and with a rudder on each end, were able to travel in either direction without having to turn around.

The U.S.S. Agawam was one of these sidewheelers and was built at Portland, Maine, with her wooden hull being laid down in October 1862. She was launched on April 21, 1863, but was not commissioned until March 9, 1864. Her armaments consisted of two 100 pounder rifled cannon, four 9-inch smoothbore cannons, two 24-pounder smoothbore cannons, one 12 pounder rifled cannon, and one 12 pounder smoothbore cannon. These vessels had a complement of about two hundred men.

Three months before the vessel was commissioned, Confederate agents had seized control of a New York steam packet, the Chesapeake, some twenty miles north of Cape Cod, and had taken her into Canadian waters. The Union Navy Department sent orders to various naval commands for the immediate pursuit and capture of these miscreants, and in the ensuing flurry of activity, the seaworthy but incompletely armed Agawam was one of those that started out for the chase. However, the chase was soon abandoned when the vessel ran into a severe gale and could not proceed any further without serious damage or loss of life to those on board. She returned to Portland on December 17, 1863 with all on board feeling rather miserable after their lucky escape from the forces of nature. Some time later the vessel was sent to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to recruit her crew from the Kittery Navy Yard, where she was placed in commission on March 9, 1864, with Commander Alexander Colden Rhine and Lieutenant George Dewey as commanding and executive officers respectively.

On March 17th, the vessel cast off from the naval yard, with pilot, Mr. Prebel, in charge. However, she struck rocks at Sullivan’s Island and broke her port wheel. She was then moored to a buoy for two days before returning to the yard for repairs. Further damage was detected some days later when she went into dry dock and repairs were commenced immediately. On April 18, 1864 the vessel left Portsmouth in the morning and arrived at Portland, Maine that evening. Ten days later she weighed anchor and left Portland shortly after noon. However the vessel struck engine problems later that afternoon and returned to Portland for repairs.

http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1862agawam.htm

Expired Image Removed

Expired Image Removed

Expired Image Removed
 
On the outbreak of war, the Union purchased numerous ships to make up the strength needed for blockade and for operations against the southern coastlines. Among these were ferries from New York and other harbors, which proved useful for inshore and river work due to their large carrying capacity, shallow draft, and ability to move in either direction. This led to the construction of the double-enders which provided similar advantages although not perfectly symmetrical (note for example the rake of the masts) but possessing dual pilothouses and as borderruffian mentioned, rudders.

Their armament was also double-ended; each end had one 100pdr pivot gun and two 9" carriage guns, one each side. This seems to have been fairly standard for the class; lighter guns were more variable and were sometimes shifted between gunports as needed.
 
Here why USS Wateree was a ground.....


On August 13, 1868, while she was in port at Arica (then part of Peru) a devastating earthquake struck the city subjecting Wateree and the other ships in the harbor to several massive tsunamis. The last tsunami broke the side-wheeler gunboat's anchor chains and drove her ashore almost 500 yards inland from the normal high water mark. Too badly damaged for economical repair, the ship was sold to Mr. William Parker on November 21, 1868. Her hulk was used as an emergency hospital, an inn, a hospital again, and finally a warehouse. She was eventually completely destroyed by another tsunami on May 9, 1877.

The remains of the Wateree's boilers on the shore north of Arica.
Today all that remains are parts of her boilers, mounted on the shore north of the present town of Arica, and maintained as a National Monument of Chile.

Here a link to correspondence on the grounding of the USS Wateree

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/powhatan.htm


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1e/Chile_2006_022.jpg/220px-Chile_2006_022.jpg
 
Interesting stuff - I was hoping to see something about another double ended gunboat - the USS Port Royal. An ancestor died on her in June 1862 after taking part in the James River expedition of May/June - I've been searching for a photo but no luck so far - a couple of illustrations, etc.

There's a wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Port_Royal_(1862) but I also found a reference in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 20th January 1862 which gives slightly different details for launch date and dimensions but also a few more facts:

LAUNCH OF A GOVERNMENT STEAMER - The new side-wheel steamer Port Royal, built by Mr. Thomas Slack, for the United States Government, was successfully launched from his shipyard, foot of North Sixth street, E. D., last Saturday. The dimensions of the Port Royal are: length, 205 feet; breadth of beam, 38 feet; depth of hold, 12 feet. She is constructed with a rudder at each end, after the manner of a ferry boat. She was towed round to the Novelty Iron works to receive her engines and machinery, and will soon be placed at the disposal of Government.

I've got most of her history as regards log account etc, but never found an actual photo - not even in the background of another.
 
Interesting stuff - I was hoping to see something about another double ended gunboat - the USS Port Royal. An ancestor died on her in June 1862 after taking part in the James River expedition of May/June - I've been searching for a photo but no luck so far - a couple of illustrations, etc.

There's a wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Port_Royal_(1862) but I also found a reference in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 20th January 1862 which gives slightly different details for launch date and dimensions but also a few more facts:

LAUNCH OF A GOVERNMENT STEAMER - The new side-wheel steamer Port Royal, built by Mr. Thomas Slack, for the United States Government, was successfully launched from his shipyard, foot of North Sixth street, E. D., last Saturday. The dimensions of the Port Royal are: length, 205 feet; breadth of beam, 38 feet; depth of hold, 12 feet. She is constructed with a rudder at each end, after the manner of a ferry boat. She was towed round to the Novelty Iron works to receive her engines and machinery, and will soon be placed at the disposal of Government.

I've got most of her history as regards log account etc, but never found an actual photo - not even in the background of another.


What about this story which matches up with your ancestor early demise.....it an untold story about 12 union ships and gunboats being trapped in the Appomattox river during the Peninsula Campaign and could have been destroyed or capture....read the story..

http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1862AppomattoxRaid.htm


You have most likely been at this site before..It looks like there may only be sketches of the Port Royal

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-p/portroyl.htm

I want to add this on:

http://books.google.com/books?id=EnSAlDbRcyIC&pg=PA465&dq=USS Port Royal decommissioned 1866&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pWHzTo2aDNG2twfEncDPBg&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=USS Port Royal decommissioned 1866&f=false

She was sold in Boston, MA. in Oct of 1866...which most likely means her name was changed. We need to find what happen to her after she was sold. You may find a picture that way...
 
Cheers 5fish - not quite with the Appomattox raid - my ancestor died slightly earlier on the 20th June just after the expedition up the James River and the Drewery's Bluff engagement - typhoid. The illustrations are all's that I've seen anywhere and I had seen the info about her being sold in Boston and always thought it curious that the trail ended there. As you've suggested a name change then that will explain that but I fear it would take a lot of digging to find that out.
 
Back
Top