USS/CSS Velocity

[Rusk County Avengers]

Is there anyone with a bit, in depth knowledge of this ship?

All I've been able to find is she was schooner, originally a blockade runner named Velocity, captured at Sabine City by the USS Kensington, and USS Rachel Seaman September 1862. After capture she was taken into US service as USS Velocity where she was armed with two "brass 12-pound howitzers" (presumably M1841 12-pound field howitzers converted to naval use), and that she was captured by the Confederacy when Sabine Pass was retaken in early 1863, where she often called the CSS Velocity and served as a Confederate gunboat. Commodore Henry Bell said of her "the schooner Velocity is a miserable little craft, badly found, and scarcely able to keep out the sea" (sounds like she wasn't much of a loss to the Union Navy).

Does anyone know anything further of this craft? Her dimensions, and so forth. Any ship that starts out in the war as a blockade runner, and is turned into a Union blockader, and is then captured and becomes a Confederate gunboat is an interesting study for me.

 

[georgew]

Is there anyone with a bit, in depth knowledge of this ship?

All I've been able to find is she was schooner, originally a blockade runner named Velocity, captured at Sabine City by the USS Kensington, and USS Rachel Seaman September 1862. After capture she was taken into US service as USS Velocity where she was armed with two "brass 12-pound howitzers" (presumably M1841 12-pound field howitzers converted to naval use), and that she was captured by the Confederacy when Sabine Pass was retaken in early 1863, where she often called the CSS Velocity and served as a Confederate gunboat. Commodore Henry Bell said of her "the schooner Velocity is a miserable little craft, badly found, and scarcely able to keep out the sea" (sounds like she wasn't much of a loss to the Union Navy).

Does anyone know anything further of this craft? Her dimensions, and so forth. Any ship that starts out in the war as a blockade runner, and is turned into a Union blockader, and is then captured and becomes a Confederate gunboat is an interesting study for me.

You might want to do a google search using the terms "W.T. Block and schooner Velocity". Block's research into operations around Sabine and Calcasieu were well documented over the years. He also published a couple of books. I seem to remember one being titled "Schooner to Starboard". His write ups are very useful if you are trying to clarify the interaction of the CSA and the Texas Marine Department in the waters northeast of Galveston for the period. Apparently Texas troops were detached at times as partial crewmen for blockade runners. He published the only history I've ever seen of the burning of the Union gunboat Dan at Sabine and in another write up quoted one of the Army/marines involved in capturing the Morning Light as stating that one of Gen. Magruders staff officers placed in overall charge of the operation was a drunk and responsible for ignoring the information of experienced watermen from Sabine waters that the bar off the river was loaded with silt and that the Morning Light could have been towed/dragged through the silt by the two Confederate steam gunboats. She had 32 pounders, 80 tons of pig iron in her ballast and would have made a good depot ship off the town.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

You might want to do a google search using the terms "W.T. Block and schooner Velocity". Block's research into operations around Sabine and Calcasieu were well documented over the years. He also published a couple of books. I seem to remember one being titled "Schooner to Starboard". His write ups are very useful if you are trying to clarify the interaction of the CSA and the Texas Marine Department in the waters northeast of Galveston for the period. Apparently Texas troops were detached at times as partial crewmen for blockade runners.

Thank you for that information! I hope its as promising as it sounds on finding information on Velocity.

He published the only history I've ever seen of the burning of the Union gunboat Dan at Sabine and in another write up quoted one of the Army/marines involved in capturing the Morning Light as stating that one of Gen. Magruders staff officers placed in overall charge of the operation was a drunk and responsible for ignoring the information of experienced watermen from Sabine waters that the bar off the river was loaded with silt and that the Morning Light could have been towed/dragged through the silt by the two Confederate steam gunboats. She had 32 pounders, 80 tons of pig iron in her ballast and would have made a good depot ship off the town.

I believe the staff officer your referencing is Major Oscar M. Watkins. The accounts of his drunken shenanigans during the expedition bring nothing but laughter to me as its so ridiculous that such an officer was placed in command. Its actually unbelievable, but by all accounts, it happened.

 

[Carronade]

You may know this already, but this wiki article describes Velocity as being British:

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Huh, I thought I had mentioned that her origin was British, but I guess I didn't. My mistake @Carronade

Kind of an important detail I left out.

 

[georgew]

Thank you for that information! I hope its as promising as it sounds on finding information on Velocity.



I believe the staff officer your referencing is Major Oscar M. Watkins. The accounts of his drunken shenanigans during the expedition bring nothing but laughter to me as its so ridiculous that such an officer was placed in command. Its actually unbelievable, but by all accounts, it happened.

Yup. Watkins is the man. His career seems to have stalled after this and he ended up in non-combat duties.

 

[mjr251]

I don't know of any details on her, but she is the ship that brought yellow fever to Sabine in October 1862 when she ran the blockade.

 

[mjr251]

..Morning Light could have been towed/dragged through the silt by the two Confederate steam gunboats. She had 32 pounders, 80 tons of pig iron in her ballast and would have made a good depot ship off the town.

She also had a fresh water distilling device, and she's still there, in the mud off Sabine Pass.