USS Patapsco (1862)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Patapsco.
USS Patapsco (1862).jpg
Pencil sketch of USS Patapsco
History
United States Navy Jack United States
NameUSS Patapsco
BuilderHarlan & Hollingsworth
Laid downUnknown
Launched27 September 1862
Commissioned2 January 1863
Stricken1865 (est.)
FateSunk by mine on 15 January 1865
General characteristics
Class and type Passaic-class ironclad monitor
Displacement1,875 long tons (1,905 t)
Length241 ft (73 m)
Beam46 ft (14 m)
Draft10 ft 10 in (3.30 m)
Installed power320 ihp (240 kW)
Propulsion
  • 1 × Ericsson vibrating lever engine
  • 2 × Martin boilers
  • 1 × shaft
Speed6 kn (6.9 mph; 11 km/h)
Complement105 officers and enlisted
Armament1 × 15 in (380 mm) smoothbore gun, 1 × 8 in (200 mm) Parrott rifle
Armor
  • Side: 3–5 in (7.6–12.7 cm)
  • Turret: 11 in (28 cm)
  • Deck: 1 in (2.5 cm)
NotesArmor is iron.

USS Patapsco was a Passaic-class ironclad monitor in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the Patapsco River in Maryland.

Built in Wilmington, Delaware[]

Patapsco was the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear that name. She was built by Harlan & Hollingsworth, Wilmington, Delaware; launched on 27 September 1862; and commissioned on 2 January 1863, Commander Daniel Ammen in command.

Civil War service[]

Assigned to the South Atlantic blockade[]

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, she took part in a bombardment of Fort McAllister on 3 March. On 7 April, Patapsco joined eight other ironclads in a vigorous attack on Fort Sumter, and received 47 hits from Confederate gunfire during that day.

Officers of her sister ship Sangamon in the James River, 1865

Beginning in mid-July, she began her participation in a lengthy bombardment campaign against Charleston's defending fortifications. This led to the capture of Fort Wagner in early September. Fort Sumter was reduced to a pile of rubble, but remained a formidable opponent.

In November 1863, Patapsco tested a large obstruction-clearing explosive device that had been devised by John Ericsson. Remaining off South Carolina and Georgia during much of 1864 and into 1865, the monitor — or her boat crews — took part in a reconnaissance of the Wilmington River, Georgia, in January 1864 and helped capture or destroy enemy sailing vessels in February and November of that year.

Sunk by a mine[]

On 15 January 1865, while participating in obstruction clearance operations in Charleston Harbor, Patapsco struck a Confederate mine and sank, with 75 lost. The ship's Executive Officer, Lieutenant William T. Sampson was one of a handful of survivors.

References[]

  • This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
  • Additional technical data from Gardiner, Robert (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Conway Maritime Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.

External links[]

Coordinates: 32°45′55″N 79°53′29″W / 32.765252°N 79.891281°W / 32.765252; -79.891281

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