USS Uncas (1843)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Uncas was a 192-ton steamer
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...
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 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...
.
Uncas was used as a gunship
Gunship
The term "gunship" is used in several contexts, all sharing the general idea of a light craft armed with heavy guns.-In Navy:In the Navy, the term originally appeared in the mid-19th century as a less-common synonym for gunboat.-In military aviation:...
by the Navy 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.
Built in New York City in 1843
Uncas -- a screw steamer built at New York City in 1843—was purchased by the Navy there on 20 September 1861 from Dudley Buck for use with the U.S. Coast Survey. She was refitted at the New York Navy Yard from September 1861 to February 1862 and placed in service early in March, Acting Master Lemuel G. Crane commanding.Uncas sent to Hampton Roads to strengthen Union forces there However, before Uncas could begin her duties for the Coast Survey, the Confederate ironclad ram CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy, built during the first year of the American Civil War; she was constructed as a casemate ironclad using the raised and cut down original lower hull and steam engines of the scuttled . Virginia was one of the...
attacked the Union warships blockading Hampton Roads, Virginia, sinking frigates Cumberland and Congress and endangering their consorts. As a result of the havoc created by the resurrected Merrimack, Uncas was sent to Hampton Roads to strengthen the Union naval forces still afloat there.
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade
She had arrived in that strategic roadstead by 14 March and, three days later, was officially transferred to the Navy and assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Unfortunately, by that time, Uncas brief service had revealed serious deficiencies in the ship; and she was ordered to Baltimore, Maryland, for repairs.Transferred to the Gulf of Mexico
While she was being readied for action, the Navy again changed its plans for the vessel and sent her to the western part of the Gulf of MexicoGulf 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...
where Flag Officer David Farragut
David 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...
was preparing for his daring attack on 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...
.
On 10 April, the steamer entered 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...
where she was needed to help locate positions for Commander David D. Porter's mortar boats during his impending bombardment of Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip is a decommissioned masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about up river from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana...
and Fort Jackson
Fort 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...
. Farragut planned to use her as a gunboat in the Mississippi Sound
Mississippi Sound
The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about 145 kilometers...
. However, her machinery broke down again almost immediately, and the ship returned north for further repairs before beginning either task.
Reassigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron
The deficiencies were quickly corrected; and, on the 26th, the ship was steaming to 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...
, to join Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont's South Atlantic Blockading Squadron -- when she captured the 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....
Belle 30 miles northwest 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...
. The Belle was operating out of Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, New Providence
New Providence
New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...
, and purportedly bound for 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,...
, with a cargo of salt, pepper, and soap.
Uncas remained only briefly at Port Royal, being assigned on 29 April 1862 to the blockade of St. Simon's Sound, U.S. state of Georgia, and all inland waters extending from St. Catherine's to St. Andrew's Sounds.
Florida operations
Uncas next received orders to FloridaFlorida
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...
, arriving in the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
on 11 June 1862. Uncas first saw action on 1 September 1862 when she and engaged a company of Confederates at St. John's and Yellow Bluffs. Scattered incidents following this initial clash led to a major encounter with Southern batteries at St. John's Bluff on 11 September 1862. The engagement lasted four hours and 20 minutes. During the action, Uncas fired 143 shells and 13 solid shot while Patroon expended 60 shells. Uncas suffered considerable damage to her upperworks but weathered the fire and forced the defending Confederates to abandon, temporarily, the fort.
The ship and officers drew praise from Flag Officer Du Pont for their conduct. Uncas and Patroon fought a second, minor battle at the bluffs on 2 October 1862. Uncas continued patrol and reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
work on the river through the winter and into the spring of 1863.
On 10 March 1863, in company with , Uncas escorted Army transports up the St. John's River with troops who landed and occupied Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Decommissioning due to poor condition of the vessel
On 10 June 1863, Flag Officer Du Pont ordered Uncas to Port Royal for repairs. The vessel's deteriorated condition upon arrival prompted further orders on 4 July 1863 directing Uncas to proceed to the New York Navy Yard.Uncas was stricken and 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 the New York Navy Yard on 21 August 1863. She was redocumented as Claymont on 20 November 1863 and remained in merchant service until abandoned in 1886.