Sinking of the Petrel
Encyclopedia
The Sinking of the Petrel occurred in July of 1861 during the American Civil War
. While cruising off the coast of South Carolina
the United States
Navy warship USS St. Lawrence
encountered the Confederate privateer
named Petrel. The engagement ended in a Union
victory and the survivng rebels were arrested for piracy
.
, she weighed 1,176 long ton
s and was armed with fifty guns. Captain
Hugh Y. Purviance was placed in command with orders to proceed south along the coast for service with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Her opponent, the Petrel, was a much smaller schooner
rigged vessel, mounting only two guns and under the command of Captain William Perry
. She was formerly the United States Revenue Cutter Service
ship William Aiken until being captured by the rebels. Petrel had a very short career before she was destroyed, having been commissioned at Charleston
, South Carolina on July 10, with seven other vessels. The Petrel had a crew of less than fifty crewmen while the St. Lawrence carried nearly 500 into battle, she left Charleston on July 28 and was discovered on the same date. It was night on July 28 when lookouts informed Captain Purviance that they had sighted a ship flying British
colors off the South Carolina coast. Though the Union men did not know it at the time, the ship they saw was the Petrel.
for the duration of the 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...
. While cruising off the coast of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy warship USS St. Lawrence
USS St. Lawrence (1848)
USS St. Lawrence was a frigate in the United States Navy. She was based on the same plans as .Although St. Lawrence was laid down in 1826 by the Norfolk Navy Yard, she remained uncompleted on the ways until work on her, interrupted by a shortage of funds, was resumed during the Mexican-American War...
encountered the Confederate privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
named Petrel. The engagement ended in a Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
victory and the survivng rebels were arrested for piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
.
Background
The USS St. Lawrence was a sailing frigate built for the Mexican WarMexican War
Mexican War may refer to:*Mexican War of Independence *Mexican–American War *French intervention in Mexico *Mexican Revolution *Mexican Civil War *Cristero War *Mexican Drug War...
, she weighed 1,176 long ton
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
s and was armed with fifty guns. Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Hugh Y. Purviance was placed in command with orders to proceed south along the coast for service with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Her opponent, the Petrel, was a much smaller 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....
rigged vessel, mounting only two guns and under the command of Captain William Perry
William Perry
William James Perry is an American businessman and engineer who was the United States Secretary of Defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, under President Bill Clinton...
. She was formerly the United States Revenue Cutter Service
United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
ship William Aiken until being captured by the rebels. Petrel had a very short career before she was destroyed, having been commissioned at Charleston
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...
, South Carolina on July 10, with seven other vessels. The Petrel had a crew of less than fifty crewmen while the St. Lawrence carried nearly 500 into battle, she left Charleston on July 28 and was discovered on the same date. It was night on July 28 when lookouts informed Captain Purviance that they had sighted a ship flying British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colors off the South Carolina coast. Though the Union men did not know it at the time, the ship they saw was the Petrel.
Sinking
A chase began and continued for around four hours before the Confederates were overhauled. Some accounts say the USS St. Lawrence was disguised as a merchantman during the engagement which successfully lured the Petrel in for an attack, but at some point Captain Perry discovered the true nature of the Union frigate and he decided to flee as fast as he could. When it became apparent that an escape was impossible, the rebels raised their naval jack and opened fire on the St. Lawrence with the 32-pounder. After three shots the Union sailors responded with a salvo from their forecastle battery and hit the schooner twice in the hull. For about twenty minutes the two sides exchanged fire until Perry gave the order enter life boats and abandon ship. Thirty minutes later the Petrel was completely underwater with multiple shot-holes through her side. The USS St. Lawrence received some damage to her sails and rigging, though it was only slight and the ship was easily repaired, at least one man suffered from minor wounds. Thirty-six Confederates were taken prisoner and another four men went down with their vessel. The surviving rebels were eventually sent to Philadelphia in the steamship USS Flag to be charged for piracy but the accusation was not justified and the sailors were taken to Moyamensing PrisonMoyamensing Prison
Moyamensing Prison was a prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed by Thomas U. Walter and completed in 1835.-History:The prison's cornerstone was laid April 2, 1832, and it was finished in 1835...
for the duration of the war.
See Also
- Confederate privateerConfederate privateerThe Confederate privateers were privately owned ships that were authorized by the government of the Confederate States of America to attack the shipping of the United States...
- Action off Galveston LightAction off Galveston LightThe Action off Galveston Light was a short naval battle fought during the American Civil War in January 1863. Confederate raider CSS Alabama encountered and sank the United States Navy steamer USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas....
- Battle of Cherbourg (1864)
- Bahia IncidentBahia IncidentThe Bahia Incident was a naval skirmish fought in late 1864 during the American Civil War. A Confederate States Navy warship was captured by a Union warship in Bahia Harbor, Brazil...
- Single ship action
- James Henry GillisJames Henry GillisJames Henry Gillis was an Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. His active-duty career extended from the 1850s through the 1890s, including service in the American Civil War.-Biography:...
- Frederick Pearson (Alaska)Frederick Pearson (Alaska)Frederick Pearson was an officer in the United States Navy who served as the commander of the Department of Alaska from March 13, 1882 to October 3, 1882 as Commander of the USS Wachusett. During the American Civil War, Pearson was on the USS St. Lawrence when she engaged the rebel privateer...