USS Sea Foam (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Sea Foam (1861) was a brig
purchased by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
.
She was used by the Union Navy primarily as a mortar gunboat, but also as a gunboat stationed off Confederate
ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries. Towards the war's end, she was converted into a storeship, keeping fleet ships supplied with necessary supplies.
on 14 September 1861; fitted out as a mortar
vessel at the New York Navy Yard; and commissioned on 27 January 1862, Acting Master Henry E. Williams in command.
's New Orleans, Louisiana
, campaign. A few days later, the ship departed New York Harbor
and proceeded, via Key West, Florida
, and Ship Island, Mississippi, to the mouth of the Mississippi River
. She entered the river through Pass a l'Outre on 18 March and spent the next month preparing for the impending attack on the Confederate forts which guarded the river.
and, during the following four hours, hurled 43 shells at the fort. Before dawn the next day, she resumed the bombardment and kept it up until well after sunset that evening, firing 88 shells during the day. She continued this pattern of operations during the following four days.
to await Farragut. On 15 May, Sea Foam and Matthew Vassar
captured sloops Sarah and New Eagle, both laden with cotton.
, recalled Porter and the mortar vessels. In returning up the Mississippi River
, Sea Foam ran aground on a sand bar below New Orleans and remained down river while her sister mortar boats supported Farragut's operations in the vicinity of Vicksburg during June and July 1862.
She did get into action again on the Mississippi in the spring of 1863 when Farragut dashed passed the Port Hudson batteries to stop Confederate commerce across the Mississippi from the Red River
.
, remained on the Mississippi River supporting the operations of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. On 3 May 1864, she was ordered to New York City
for repairs and replacement of her worn mortar
. However, she was sent on to Boston, Massachusetts, and was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard
on 31 May.
, until ordered north in January 1865.
Sea Foam served in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron for the closing months of the war.
there on 12 June 1865 to A. C. DeWells.
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...
purchased 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 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 used by the Union Navy primarily as a mortar gunboat, but also as a gunboat stationed off Confederate
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...
ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries. Towards the war's end, she was converted into a storeship, keeping fleet ships supplied with necessary supplies.
Purchased at New York City in 1861
Sea Foam was a wooden-hulled hermaphrodite brig purchased by the Navy 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...
on 14 September 1861; fitted out as a mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
vessel at the New York Navy Yard; and commissioned on 27 January 1862, Acting Master Henry E. Williams in command.
Assigned to the Mississippi River Mortar Flotilla
Sea Foam was assigned to the Mortar Flotilla which was established early in 1862 to support Flag Officer David FarragutDavid Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the...
's New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, campaign. A few days later, the ship departed New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
and proceeded, via 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...
, and Ship Island, Mississippi, to the mouth of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. She entered the river through Pass a l'Outre on 18 March and spent the next month preparing for the impending attack on the Confederate forts which guarded the river.
Bombarding Fort Jackson on the Mississippi
On the afternoon of 18 April, Sea Foam and her sister mortar boats of the flotilla's third division opened fire on Fort JacksonFort Jackson, Louisiana
Fort Jackson is a decommissioned masonry fort located some up river from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was constructed as a coastal defense of New Orleans between 1822 and 1832, and was a battle site in the American Civil War. It is a National Historic...
and, during the following four hours, hurled 43 shells at the fort. Before dawn the next day, she resumed the bombardment and kept it up until well after sunset that evening, firing 88 shells during the day. She continued this pattern of operations during the following four days.
Bombarding the fort while Farragut makes a dash up the river
Then, at midnight on the night of 23 and 24 April, she opened fire to join the bombardment which preceded Farragut's dash up river past the forts. She increased the rate of her fire to her maximum tempo some three and one-half hours later as Farragut's ships moved within range of the Southern batteries, and she maintained the pace until the Union ships were safely above the forts.Reassigned to the blockade off Mobile Bay
After New Orleans surrendered, Porter took his flotilla to a position off Mobile BayMobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
to await Farragut. On 15 May, Sea Foam and Matthew Vassar
USS Matthew Vassar (1861)
USS Matthew Vassar was a schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy primarily as a mortar gunboat, but also as a gunboat stationed off Confederate ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries.Matthew Vassar, a wooden, centerboard...
captured sloops Sarah and New Eagle, both laden with cotton.
Sea Foam called back to Vicksburg, and then runs aground
However, the Flag Officer was delayed by operations on the Mississippi and, after learning of the strength of the Confederate works at VicksburgBattle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, recalled Porter and the mortar vessels. In returning up the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, Sea Foam ran aground on a sand bar below New Orleans and remained down river while her sister mortar boats supported Farragut's operations in the vicinity of Vicksburg during June and July 1862.
She did get into action again on the Mississippi in the spring of 1863 when Farragut dashed passed the Port Hudson batteries to stop Confederate commerce across the Mississippi from the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
.
Hew crew hampered by yellow fever, Sea Foam returns to New York
For the next year, the brig, badly hampered by yellow feverYellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
, remained on the Mississippi River supporting the operations of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. On 3 May 1864, she was ordered to New York City
New 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...
for repairs and replacement of her worn mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
. However, she was sent on to Boston, Massachusetts, and was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
on 31 May.
Sea Foam’s final operations of the war
Restored to fighting trim, Sea Foam was recommissioned at Boston on 1 August 1864 and assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She served as a store ship at Port Royal, South CarolinaPort 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...
, until ordered north in January 1865.
Sea Foam served in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron for the closing months of the war.
Post-war decommissioning and sale
Sea Foam was decommissioned at Boston on 16 May 1865. 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....
there on 12 June 1865 to A. C. DeWells.