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USS Currituck (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Currituck (1861) was a steamer
acquired by the Union Navy
for use during the American Civil War
.
Her duties as a gunboat
included river patrols, guard duty, and other duties as assigned.
as Seneca; renamed Currituck; fitted for service at New York Navy Yard; and commissioned 27 February 1862, Acting Master W. F. Shankland in command.
to Hampton Roads
as soon as possible so that the revolutionary new ironclad might confront the Confederate Virginia
(ex-USS Merrimack
). Departing New York City
6 March, Currituck and Monitor arrived Hampton Roads
8 March just in time to check the great successes of CSS Virginia
.
, Currituck spent her entire service in the Chesapeake Bay
and tributary waters cooperating with Army movements ashore. She performed guard and picket duty, capturing or destroying Confederate
property and engaging Southern land forces frequently.
Between 4 May 1862 and 21 October 1863 she took eight vessels and aided in cutting out another, as well as capturing the fort at the confluence of the Pamunkey River
and the Mattapony River
and military stores at Carter's Creek.
Throughout the remainder of the war she cruised constantly up and down the inland waters of Virginia
and in Chesapeake Bay convoying transports and hospital boats with sick and wounded from Fredericksburg, Virginia
, sending scouting parties ashore from time to time.
, 31 July 1865, Currituck was decommissioned 4 August 1865 and sold 15 September 1865.
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...
for 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...
.
Her duties as 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:...
included river patrols, guard duty, and other duties as assigned.
Purchased at New York City in 1861
Currituck, a screw-steamer, was purchased 20 September 1861 at New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as Seneca; renamed Currituck; fitted for service at New York Navy Yard; and commissioned 27 February 1862, Acting Master W. F. Shankland in command.
Currituck tows Monitor to Hampton Roads
Currituck was ordered to tow MonitorUSS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
to Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
as soon as possible so that the revolutionary new ironclad might confront the Confederate 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...
(ex-USS Merrimack
USS Merrimack (1855)
USS Merrimack was a frigate and sailing vessel of the United States Navy, best known as the hull upon which the ironclad warship, CSS Virginia was constructed during the American Civil War...
). Departing New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
6 March, Currituck and Monitor arrived Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
8 March just in time to check the great successes of 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...
.
Assigned to the Potomac Flotilla
Assigned to duty with the Potomac FlotillaPotomac 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...
, Currituck spent her entire service in 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 tributary waters cooperating with Army movements ashore. She performed guard and picket duty, capturing or destroying 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...
property and engaging Southern land forces frequently.
Between 4 May 1862 and 21 October 1863 she took eight vessels and aided in cutting out another, as well as capturing the fort at the confluence of the Pamunkey River
Pamunkey River
The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York River it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay.-Course:...
and the Mattapony River
Mattaponi River
The Mattaponi River is a tributary of the York River estuary in eastern Virginia in the United States.It rises as four streams in Spotsylvania County, each of which is given a shorter piece of the Mattaponi's name:...
and military stores at Carter's Creek.
Throughout the remainder of the war she cruised constantly up and down the inland waters of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and in Chesapeake Bay convoying transports and hospital boats with sick and wounded from Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, sending scouting parties ashore from time to time.
Post-war decommissioning
Arriving at Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, 31 July 1865, Currituck was decommissioned 4 August 1865 and sold 15 September 1865.