USS Banshee (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Banshee (1862) was a large steamship “blockade runner
” that was captured by the Union Navy and converted to Navy use during the American Civil War
.
Banshee, a 533-ton (burden) side-wheel steamship, was built in Liverpool
, England
, in 1862 for employment running the Federal blockade of the Confederate
coast.
or the Bahamas and Wilmington, North Carolina
. Future New York shipping magnate F.W.J. Hurst
was second in command of the ship on these runs. She was captured by and the U.S. Army Transport Fulton on 21 November 1863, while en route to Wilmington.
Prize Court
, she was purchased in March 1864 by the U.S. Navy, which converted her to a gunboat
and, in June 1864, placed her in commission as USS Banshee.
, North Carolina
. Banshee was reassigned to the Potomac Flotilla
in mid-January 1865 and spent the rest of the Civil War operating on the Chesapeake Bay
and its tributaries.
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
” that was captured by the Union Navy and converted to Navy use 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...
.
Banshee, a 533-ton (burden) side-wheel steamship, was built in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1862 for employment running the Federal blockade of the Confederate
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...
coast.
Career as a blockade runner
Her transatlantic maiden voyage, in April 1863, was a "first" for a steel-hulled ship, though her innovative construction proved troublesome in service. During the next seven months, Banshee was very successful in her intended trade, making seven round-trip voyages between BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
or the Bahamas and Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. Future New York shipping magnate F.W.J. Hurst
F.W.J. Hurst
Francis William Jones Hurst , a native of the British West Indies, was a major figure in the cross-Atlantic shipping business in the 19th century. During the American Civil War, he captained ships that ran the Union blockade of Confederate ports...
was second in command of the ship on these runs. She was captured by and the U.S. Army Transport Fulton on 21 November 1863, while en route to Wilmington.
Acquired by the Union Navy
Sent North for adjudication by the 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...
Prize Court
Prize court
A prize court is a court authorized to consider whether or not a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the terms of the seizing ship's letters of marque and reprisal...
, she was purchased in March 1864 by the U.S. Navy, which converted her to a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
and, in June 1864, placed her in commission as USS Banshee.
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron
The steamer served for the rest of the year with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. In December she took part in the abortive attempt to capture Fort FisherFort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. Banshee was reassigned to the Potomac Flotilla
Potomac Flotilla
The Potomac Flotilla, or the Potomac Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to disrupt Confederate communications and shipping in the...
in mid-January 1865 and spent the rest of the Civil War operating on the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
and its tributaries.