USS Tigress (1861)
Encyclopedia
The second USS Tigress was a steamer chartered by the Union Navy
at the beginning of the American Civil War
.
Tigress was outfitted with a howitzer
and ordered to patrol the Potomac River
, which separated the Union capital of Washington, D.C.
from the state of Virginia
, which later became the capital of the Confederate States of America
.
-- was chartered by the Union Navy at Baltimore, Maryland, from A. C. Hall sometime in the summer of 1861 prior to 20 August. At some now unknown date, she was purchased by the Navy. She departed Baltimore on 20 August, bound for the Washington Navy Yard
.
flotilla on 26 August and operated largely in patrol activities. On two occasions in early September, she carried captured runaway slaves to Capt. Craven's flagship
, Resolute
.
On the evening of 10 September, while Tigress was on patrol off Indian Head, Maryland
, steamer State of Maine ran down the tug and sank her. The ship's wreck was subsequently raised; but, on 22 November 1862, she was deemed not worth the expense of repair.
, with half of the proceeds going to her former owner, A. C. Hall, who had raised the wreck.
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...
at the beginning 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...
.
Tigress was outfitted with a howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
and ordered to patrol the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, which separated the Union capital of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, which later became the capital 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...
.
Chartered in Baltimore in 1861
Tigress -- a screw tugboatTugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
-- was chartered by the Union Navy at Baltimore, Maryland, from A. C. Hall sometime in the summer of 1861 prior to 20 August. At some now unknown date, she was purchased by the Navy. She departed Baltimore on 20 August, bound for the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
.
Civil War operations
Tigress joined Capt Thomas T. Craven's Potomac RiverPotomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
flotilla on 26 August and operated largely in patrol activities. On two occasions in early September, she carried captured runaway slaves to Capt. Craven's flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
, Resolute
USS Resolute (1860)
The first USS Resolute was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was purchased by the Union Navy to be part of the fleet of ships stationed in coastal waterways to prevent blockade runners from entering or departing ports of the Confederacy...
.
On the evening of 10 September, while Tigress was on patrol off Indian Head, Maryland
Indian Head, Maryland
Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose and smokeless powder began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900...
, steamer State of Maine ran down the tug and sank her. The ship's wreck was subsequently raised; but, on 22 November 1862, she was deemed not worth the expense of repair.
Disposal after collision
Tigress was subsequently 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....
, with half of the proceeds going to her former owner, A. C. Hall, who had raised the wreck.