USS South Carolina (1860)
Encyclopedia
USS South Carolina (1860) was a steamer
used by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
.
She was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Post-war she was converted into a cargo ship
prior to being decommissioned.
on 22 May 1861, Capt. James Alden in command.
. She joined the Gulf Blockading Squadron at Berwick Bay
, Louisiana
, on 24 June 1861 and then took station off Galveston, Texas
. On 4 July, she celebrated Independence Day there by capturing six small schooners. She took two more the next day and one each on the 6th and 7th.
South Carolina engaged Confederate batteries at Galveston on 3 August. On 11 September, she made a prize of Galveston steamer Anna Taylor, laden with coffee and masquerading as the Tampico ship, Solodad Cos. She captured schooners Ezilda and Joseph H. Toone off Southwest Pass on 4 October; and, on the 16th, took Edward Barnard, after that British schooner had run the blockade out of Mobile, Alabama
, with 600 barrels of turpentine
. On the 17th of October, she joined the USS Vincennes (1826)
in pursuit of the CSS Ivy up the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi. She fired on the Ivy, and one other Confederate steamer, but both escaped.
Sloop
Florida fell prey to the vigilant blockader on 11 December. On 19 February 1862, South Carolina and Brooklyn
chased steamer Magnolia in the Gulf of Mexico
after the steamer had slipped away from the Confederate coast carrying a large cargo of cotton
. Magnolia's crew exploded one of her boilers, set her afire, and attempted to escape; but South Carolina captured the Southerner's boats, boarded the flaming steamer, and put out the fire. In March, South Carolina received orders to return to Boston where she was decommissioned on 8 April for badly needed repairs.
, on the 16th. She served in that squadron until the closing weeks of the Civil War. South Carolina destroyed abandoned schooner Patriot aground near Mosquito Inlet, Florida, on 27 August; and captured schooner Nellie off Port Royal, South Carolina
, on 27 March 1863.
Recommissioned on 17 June, the ship sailed on 4 July to carry stores to ships at Port Royal, Key West
, and Pensacola, Florida
. She returned to Philadelphia on the last day of July and, during the next year, made four more similar logistic cruises.
from her last voyage on 20 July 1866, South Carolina was decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 17 August 1866 and was sold at public auction
at New York on 5 October 1866. Redocumented Juniata on 24 December 1866, the former blockader remained long in merchant service. She was reduced to a schooner barge on 8 April 1893 and soon after vanished from maritime records.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
used 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 Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
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...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Post-war she was converted into a cargo ship
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
prior to being decommissioned.
Built in Boston in 1860
South Carolina, a screw steamer built at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1860, was purchased by the Navy at Boston on 3 May 1861 and commissioned at the Boston Navy YardBoston 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 22 May 1861, Capt. James Alden in command.
Assigned to the Gulf Blockading Squadron
The steamer departed Boston on 24 May 1861 and carried ordnance and ammunition to Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. She joined the Gulf Blockading Squadron at Berwick Bay
Berwick Bay
Berwick Bay is the section of the Lower Atchafalaya River in Louisiana from Morgan City north to Sixmile Lake. U.S. Route 90 crosses Berwick Bay connecting the town of Berwick on the west bank of the Atchafalaya to Morgan City on the east bank. There is also a Southern Pacific vertical lift...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, on 24 June 1861 and then took station off 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...
. On 4 July, she celebrated Independence Day there by capturing six small schooners. She took two more the next day and one each on the 6th and 7th.
South Carolina engaged Confederate batteries at Galveston on 3 August. On 11 September, she made a prize of Galveston steamer Anna Taylor, laden with coffee and masquerading as the Tampico ship, Solodad Cos. She captured schooners Ezilda and Joseph H. Toone off Southwest Pass on 4 October; and, on the 16th, took Edward Barnard, after that British schooner had run the blockade out of Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, with 600 barrels of 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 17th of October, she joined the USS Vincennes (1826)
USS Vincennes (1826)
USS Vincennes was a 703-ton Boston-class sloop of war in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1865. During her service, Vincennes patrolled the Pacific, explored the Antarctic, and blockaded the Confederate Gulf coast in the Civil War. Named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Vincennes, she was...
in pursuit of the CSS Ivy up the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi. She fired on the Ivy, and one other Confederate steamer, but both escaped.
Sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Florida fell prey to the vigilant blockader on 11 December. On 19 February 1862, South Carolina and Brooklyn
USS Brooklyn (1858)
USS Brooklyn was a sloop-of-war authorized by the U.S. Congress and commissioned in 1859. Brooklyn was active in Caribbean operations until the start of the American Civil War at which time she became an active participant in the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America.With her one...
chased steamer Magnolia in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
after the steamer had slipped away from the Confederate coast carrying a large cargo of 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....
. Magnolia's crew exploded one of her boilers, set her afire, and attempted to escape; but South Carolina captured the Southerner's boats, boarded the flaming steamer, and put out the fire. In March, South Carolina received orders to return to Boston where she was decommissioned on 8 April for badly needed repairs.
Repaired and recommissioned, South Carolina sails down the east coast
Recommissioned on 16 June, the steamer was reassigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron; departed Boston four days later; and joined the blockade off Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, 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...
, on the 16th. She served in that squadron until the closing weeks of the Civil War. South Carolina destroyed abandoned schooner Patriot aground near Mosquito Inlet, Florida, on 27 August; and captured schooner Nellie 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...
, on 27 March 1863.
Returned to Philadelphia, and converted into a storeship
Departing Charleston on 9 March 1865, South Carolina entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard on the 15th and was decommissioned there on the 25th to be fitted out as a store ship.Recommissioned on 17 June, the ship sailed on 4 July to carry stores to ships at Port Royal, Key West
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 Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. She returned to Philadelphia on the last day of July and, during the next year, made four more similar logistic cruises.
Post-war decommissioning and sale
After returning to New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from her last voyage on 20 July 1866, South Carolina was decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 17 August 1866 and was sold at public auction
Public 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....
at New York on 5 October 1866. Redocumented Juniata on 24 December 1866, the former blockader remained long in merchant service. She was reduced to a schooner barge on 8 April 1893 and soon after vanished from maritime records.