USS Santiago de Cuba (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Santiago de Cuba (1861) was a brig
acquired by the Union Navy
during the first year of the American Civil War
. She was outfitted as a gunboat
with powerful 20-pounder rifled guns and 32-pounder cannon and was assigned to the Union blockade
of the Confederate States of America
.
; and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 5 November 1861, Commander Daniel B. Ridgely in command.
She reached Havana on 17 November. On 3 December, she captured British
blockade runner
schooner
, Victoria, at sea some 90 miles west of Point Isabel, Texas, and sent the prize to Galveston, Texas
. Four days later, she chased and overtook British schooner, Eugenia Smith, but released her for want of evidence justifying a seizure. Thus, she began a career which kept her at sea during much of the Civil War.
Santiago de Cuba scored next on 26 April 1862 when she took schooner, Mersey, of Charleston, South Carolina
; and she captured schooner, Maria, on the 30th off Port Royal, South Carolina
. Schooner, Lucy C. Holmes, laden with cotton
, fell into her clutches on 27 May, and the Union side wheeler seized blockade runners, Columbia on 3 August and Lavinia on the 27th—both off Abaco
in the Bahamas.
commerce raiders Alabama
and Florida
. The squadron caught several prizes but never found the elusive Southern warships.
On 21 June 1863, Santiago de Cuba overtook Victory off Palmetto Point, Eleuthera Island, ending a long chase after the British steamer had slipped through the blockade off Charleston with a cargo of cotton, tobacco
, and turpentine
. On the 25th, she took steamer, Britannia, in the same area. On 15 July, she boarded steamer, Lizzie, east of the Florida
coast and sent the prize to Key West, Florida
for trial.
Late in the year, Santiago de Cuba sailed north for repairs and decommissioned on 30 December 1864.
attempting to carry a cargo of cotton to Europe
. On 2 November 1864, blockade runner steamer, Lucy, struck her colors in compliance with a demand from Santiago de Cuba.
Soon thereafter, the steamer began preparation for a new experience. She was assigned to the task force in which Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
attacked Fort Fisher
on Christmas Eve
, 1864. During the operation, she protected the landing troops as they went ashore, supported them during the fighting, and covered them as they reluctantly reembarked the next day, under orders of General Benjamin F. Butler
, the army commander.
Porter immediately began work organizing a new invasion force. The union warships and Army
transports returned to the vicinity of Wilmington in mid-January 1865. After a bloody three-day fight, Fort Fisher fell on the 15th.
The next day, Santiago de Cuba embarked men wounded in the battle and sailed for Norfolk, Virginia
.
:
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, on 21 September 1865.
She was redocumented on 16 November 1865. For more than two decades, she operated in mercantile service. On 7 December 1886, her engines were removed, and she was rigged as a schooner. Records of her subsequent career have disappeared.
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
acquired by the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
during the first year of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. She was outfitted as a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
with powerful 20-pounder rifled guns and 32-pounder cannon and was assigned to the Union blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
Commissioned in New York City in 1861
USS Santiago de Cuba was a wooden, brigantine-rigged, side-wheel steamship built in 1861 at Brooklyn, New York. She was purchased by the Navy on 6 September 1861 at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 5 November 1861, Commander Daniel B. Ridgely in command.
Gulf of Mexico operations
The new steamer was ordered to Havana, Cuba,- “... to protect legitimate commerce and to suppress communications and traffic with or by the insurgents . . .”
She reached Havana on 17 November. On 3 December, she captured British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, Victoria, at sea some 90 miles west of Point Isabel, Texas, and sent the prize to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. Four days later, she chased and overtook British schooner, Eugenia Smith, but released her for want of evidence justifying a seizure. Thus, she began a career which kept her at sea during much of the Civil War.
Santiago de Cuba scored next on 26 April 1862 when she took schooner, Mersey, of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
; and she captured schooner, Maria, on the 30th off Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
. Schooner, Lucy C. Holmes, laden with cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, fell into her clutches on 27 May, and the Union side wheeler seized blockade runners, Columbia on 3 August and Lavinia on the 27th—both off Abaco
Abaco Islands
The Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Castaway Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walker's Cay, Little Grand...
in the Bahamas.
Searching for commerce raiders and blockade runners
In September, Santiago de Cuba was assigned to a newly organized "Flying Squadron," created to seek out and capture ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
commerce raiders Alabama
CSS Alabama
CSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead, United Kingdom, in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company. Alabama served as a commerce raider, attacking Union merchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never anchored in...
and Florida
CSS Florida
At least three ships of the Confederate States Navy were named CSS Florida in honor of the third Confederate state:* The blockade runner was commissioned in January 1862, captured by the U.S. Navy in April 1862, and became...
. The squadron caught several prizes but never found the elusive Southern warships.
On 21 June 1863, Santiago de Cuba overtook Victory off Palmetto Point, Eleuthera Island, ending a long chase after the British steamer had slipped through the blockade off Charleston with a cargo of cotton, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, and turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
. On the 25th, she took steamer, Britannia, in the same area. On 15 July, she boarded steamer, Lizzie, east of the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
coast and sent the prize to Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
for trial.
Late in the year, Santiago de Cuba sailed north for repairs and decommissioned on 30 December 1864.
North Atlantic blockade operations
Overhaul completed, the side wheeler recommissioned on 6 June 1864 and resumed her chase. Some three months later, Santiago de Cuba took A. D. Vance at sea northeast of Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
attempting to carry a cargo of cotton to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. On 2 November 1864, blockade runner steamer, Lucy, struck her colors in compliance with a demand from Santiago de Cuba.
Soon thereafter, the steamer began preparation for a new experience. She was assigned to the task force in which Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
attacked Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, 1864. During the operation, she protected the landing troops as they went ashore, supported them during the fighting, and covered them as they reluctantly reembarked the next day, under orders of General Benjamin F. Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....
, the army commander.
Porter immediately began work organizing a new invasion force. The union warships and Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
transports returned to the vicinity of Wilmington in mid-January 1865. After a bloody three-day fight, Fort Fisher fell on the 15th.
The next day, Santiago de Cuba embarked men wounded in the battle and sailed for Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
.
Medals of Honor
During the Civil War, the following crewmen of the USS Santiago de Cuba were awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
:
- Philip Bazaar, Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy
- John GriffithsJohn Griffiths (Medal of Honor)John Griffiths was a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.-Military service:...
, Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy - George ProvinceGeorge ProvinceGeorge Province was a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.-Military service:...
, Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy - Auzella SavageAuzella SavageAuzella Savage was a sailor in the U.S. Navy stationed aboard the during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.-Military service:...
, Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy - John SwansonJohn Swanson (Medal of Honor)John Swanson was a sailor in the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865. His birth name was Jacob Johnson.-Military service:...
, Seaman, U.S. Navy - Edward SwattonEdward SwattonEdward Swatton was a sailor in the U.S. Navy stationed aboard the during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.-Military service:...
, Seaman, U.S. Navy - Augustus WilliamsAugustus WilliamsAugustus Williams was a seaman in the U.S. Navy stationed aboard the during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher on January 15, 1865.-Military service:...
, Seaman, U.S. Navy
Decommissioning and subsequent career
After the war ended, Santiago de Cuba was decommissioned on 17 June 1865 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was sold at public auctionPublic auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, on 21 September 1865.
She was redocumented on 16 November 1865. For more than two decades, she operated in mercantile service. On 7 December 1886, her engines were removed, and she was rigged as a schooner. Records of her subsequent career have disappeared.
See also
- American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
- Union NavyUnion NavyThe Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
- Confederate States NavyConfederate States NavyThe Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...