.gif)
USS Camanche (1864)
Encyclopedia
USS Camanche — a 1335 LT (1,356.4 t) Passaic-class monitor
— was prefabricated at Jersey City, N.J.
by Secor Brothers, Co. Her materials were then disassembled and shipped around Cape Horn
in the sailing ship Aquila to San Francisco, Calif.
, where Aquila sank on 14 November 1863. The monitor's parts were salvaged and assembled at San Francisco and she was launched on 14 November 1864. Camanche went into commission for the United States Navy
in May 1865, Lieutenant Commander
C.J. McDougal in command.
Commissioned just after the end of the Civil War
, for more than a year — until the arrival of the larger twin-turret
monitor — Camanche was the only U.S. ironclad
on the Pacific
coast
, and she was one of but two stationed there for nearly 25 years.
Camanches career was a quiet one, with the ship generally maintained in decommissioned status at the Mare Island Navy Yard, in northern San Francisco Bay
. She was the California
Naval Militia
's training ship in 1896–97 and appears to have been reactivated for a few months in 1898, during the Spanish-American War
for coastal defense purposes. Camanche was sold on 22 March 1899, but photographic evidence indicates that she remained in the San Francisco area for several years after that.
.jpg)
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
— was prefabricated at Jersey City, N.J.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
by Secor Brothers, Co. Her materials were then disassembled and shipped around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
in the sailing ship Aquila to San Francisco, Calif.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where Aquila sank on 14 November 1863. The monitor's parts were salvaged and assembled at San Francisco and she was launched on 14 November 1864. Camanche went into commission for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in May 1865, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
C.J. McDougal in command.
Commissioned just after the end of the 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...
, for more than a year — until the arrival of the larger twin-turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
monitor — Camanche was the only U.S. ironclad
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, and she was one of but two stationed there for nearly 25 years.
Camanches career was a quiet one, with the ship generally maintained in decommissioned status at the Mare Island Navy Yard, in northern San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. She was the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Naval Militia
Naval militia
A naval militia in the United States is a reserve military organization administered under the authority of a state government. It is often composed of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard reservists, retirees and volunteers. They are distinguishable from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which is a...
's training ship in 1896–97 and appears to have been reactivated for a few months in 1898, during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
for coastal defense purposes. Camanche was sold on 22 March 1899, but photographic evidence indicates that she remained in the San Francisco area for several years after that.
Other Images