For other ships named Sassacus, see USS Sassacus

USS Sassacus

USS Sassacus may refer to:*USS Sassacus , a wooden, double-ended sidewheel gunboat of the Sassacus class that served in the American Civil War was a harbor tug launched in 1942...

The first USS Sassacus, a wooden, double-ended, side-wheel steamer

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...

, was launched on December 23, 1862 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine

Kittery, Maine

Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...

, sponsored by Miss Wilhelmina G. Lambert. Sassacus was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard

Boston Navy Yard

The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...

 on October 5, 1863, Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...

 Francis A. Roe in command.

Blockade duty

That day, the new steamer got underway for trials at sea and returned to Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 for repairs. Later, en route 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...

 to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, the ship suffered mechanical difficulty and was detained at the Washington Navy Yard

Washington Navy Yard

The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...

 for repairs from November 19, 1863 to January 22, 1864. When she finally reached Hampton Roads late in January, the double-ender was assigned to the outer blockade of Wilmington

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...

, 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...

 and stationed off Cape Lookout Shoals to intercept inward-bound blockade runners attempting to slip through the net of Union

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 ships.

On February 1, Sassacus found the new and fast steamer, Wild Dayrell, near New Topsail Inlet

Topsail Island

Topsail Island is a 26-mile long barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, USA just south of Camp Lejeune, the Bogue Banks, and the Outer Banks. It contains the communities of North Topsail Beach, Surf City and Topsail Beach. Along with its thick maritime forests, Topsail Island is also a...

, North Carolina, where the blockade runner had gone aground and discharged much of her cargo. The Federal double-ender, later aided by USS Florida

USS Florida (1861)

The second USS Florida was a sidewheel steamer in the United States Navy.Florida was purchased and commissioned on 5 October 1861, with Lieutenant J. R. Goldsborough in command....

, tried for three days to refloat the prize. During their efforts to salvage the steamer, the crews were harassed by Confederate riflemen who were eventually driven off by fire from the Union ships. Finally, parties from the blockaders set the ship ablaze and destroyed her by shelling.

At daybreak on February 4, lookouts on Sassacus spotted black smoke to the northwest, and the double-ender started out in pursuit. About noon, she was within range of the chase and opened fire. The fleeing blockade runner headed for New Inlet

New Inlet

New Inlet was an inlet along the Outer Banks of North Carolina joining the Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean. It has not existed since 1933.-History:...

, North Carolina and ran aground. There, her crew set fire to their ship, left her engine running, and fled. A boarding party from Sassacus reached the steamer about one o'clock and found her to be the paddle wheeler Nutfield, inward bound from Bermuda

Bermuda

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...

: "one of the last and best steamers out of the Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

."

Sassacus rescued the runner's purser, the sole survivor from one of Nutfield's capsized boats. He reported that during her flight, his ship had jettisoned a battery of eight Whitworth rifled guns and a large quantity of pig lead. Sassacus seized about 600 new rifled muskets from Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 and 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...

 which were still on board. Meanwhile, Sassacus and Florida, which again offered assistance, attempted to refloat the prize. When it was evident that the ship could not be freed, the Union sailors set her on fire and riddled her hull with solid shot fired at her waterline.

After learning of Sassacus's performance on blockade duty, her squadron commander, Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...

 Samuel Phillips Lee

Samuel Phillips Lee

Samuel Phillips Lee was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy. He commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron from 4 September 1862 to 12 October 1864. His flagship was Philadelphia.-Life and career:...

, reported to United States Secretary of the Navy

United States Secretary of the Navy

The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...

 Gideon Welles

Gideon Welles

Gideon Welles was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869. His buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory of the Civil War...

, "The Sassacus had done well... I congratulate you on the success of this class [of ship]... they'll beat the Clyders.

Albemarle Sound

In March, Sassacus returned to Hampton Roads for repairs and then proceeded to the Washington Navy Yard to add two 12 pounder Dahlgren rifles to her battery. She departed Washington, D.C. on April 15, and left Hampton Roads a week later for duty in the North Carolina sounds where, on April 19, the ironclad ram CSS Albemarle

CSS Albemarle

CSS Albemarle was an ironclad ram of the Confederate Navy , named for a town and a sound in North Carolina and a county in Virginia...

 had spearheaded a joint Confederate sea/land offensive, sinking Union double-ender USS Southfield, and helping to wrest Plymouth, North Carolina

Plymouth, North Carolina

Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,107 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...

 from Union hands. On April 26, Sassacus crossed the bar into North Carolina's inland waters and was assigned to Albemarle Sound

Albemarle Sound

Albemarle Sound is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a long barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located,...

, where other 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...

 ships awaited the reappearance of the dreaded Southern ram. Albemarle, accompanied by troop-carrying steamers CSS Cotton Plant

CSS Cotton Plant

CSS Cotton Plant, sometimes referred to as Cotton Planter, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860 and reportedly carried troops in the Pamlico River as early as September 1861...

 and CSS Bombshell

CSS Bombshell

CSS Bombshell — believed to have been an Erie Canal steamer — was a U.S. Army transport. Bombshell was sunk by the Confederate batteries in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina on April 18, 1864. She was raised by the Confederate forces and taken into the Confederate States Navy under the...

, reemerged from Roanoke Run on the afternoon of May 5 bent on attacking New Bern, North Carolina

New Bern, North Carolina

New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...

. The Union ships in the vicinity slowly fell back while the Union transport Trumpeter raced away to carry word of the Southern ram's advance to Captain Melancton Smith

Melancton Smith (1810-1893)

Melancton Smith was a United States Navy officer who served during the Seminole Wars and the American Civil War.-Early life:...

, the senior Union Naval officer in the sounds. Smith in USS Mattabesett

USS Mattabesett (1864)

USS Mattabesett, sometimes spelled Mattabeset, a schooner-rigged, wooden hulled, double-ended sidewheel gunboat, was built by A. & G. T. Sampson, Boston, Massachusetts, and named for the Mattabesset River in Connecticut. Mattabesett was delivered to the New York Navy Yard on January 18, 1864, and...

, followed by Sassacus, USS Wyalusing and USS Whitehead, immediately got underway and dashed toward Confederate Captain

Captain (nautical)

A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...

 James W. Cooke

James W. Cooke

James Wallace Cooke was an American naval officer, serving in the United States Navy and during the American Civil War serving in the Confederate Navy....

's little task force. Soon after Albemarle opened fire, Sassacus, Mattabesett and Wyalusing concentrated their fire on Bombshell and forced the little steamer to surrender. Meanwhile, Cotton Plant withdrew up the Roanoke River

Roanoke River

The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...

. Then Commander Roe "ordered full steam and open throttle" and headed Sassacus straight for the ram. Sassacus struck Albemarles starboard broadside. The double-ender was damaged by the collision and by a shot from the ram which hit her starboard boiler. Escaping steam killed one fireman outright and scalded others who died in the next few days. Albemarle suffered only superficial damage.

For about ten minutes, the ships were locked together and engulfed in steam, while Sassacus attempted to penetrate deeper into her adversary, and Albemarle struggled to pull free. Bluejackets on the double-ender threw grenades at the ironclad's deck hatch despite musketry from the ram. Sassacus starboard wheel spun across Albemarles stern, badly damaging itself as it smashed a launch and other gear on the ram's deck. In the Union ship's engine room, First Assistant Engineer James M. Hobby, ignoring all-but-lethal burns, struggled to maintain power. As the ram wrenched free, the Federal gunners, blanketed in scalding vapor, manned their pieces and sent salvo after salvo at the tough iron casement which protected the Southern ship.

For more than three hours, the Union warships struggled to destroy Albemarle without seriously damaging their tough-hided opponent. As dusk approached, the ram slipped away from the melee and retired up the Roanoke.

James River

Sassacus, operating with only jury-rig repairs, remained in the sounds for over six weeks struggling to help maintain the Union's tenuous grasp on eastern North Carolina. Then, steaming stern first to minimize the pressure on her battered bow, she headed for the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

, where Union strength afloat was needed by General

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 in his drive toward Richmond, Virginia. The ship reached Newport News, Virginia on June 22. The next day, "although sadly yet honorably mutilated," she ascended the river and reported for duty. The ship operated on the James through the summer, from time to time engaging riflemen along the river banks. In September, she finally sailed north for overdue repairs, reaching Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 1864-09-06.

Fort Fisher

Early in November, Sassacus returned to Hampton Roads where preparations were underway for a joint Army-Navy expedition against Fort Fisher

Fort 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....

, which protected Wilmington, the Confederacy's last major blockade-running center. During the ensuing weeks, the double-ender performed blockade duty off that strategic port and assisted the United States Coast Survey in the vicinity of the mouth of the Cape Fear River

Cape Fear River

The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...

 to obtain topographic intelligence for the forthcoming operations.

The U.S. Navy had long wanted to move against Wilmington, but the Army had always found other uses for the troops necessary to take that strong Confederate fortification. Army reluctance had been dispelled by Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 Benjamin F. Butler

Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)

Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....

's fascination with a plan to destroy Fort Fisher by detonating an explosive-filled ship as close as possible to the fortress. Although Union naval leaders had little faith in the effectiveness of this plan, they readily cooperated in its implementation, hoping to thereby secure Army cooperation.

The screw steamer USS Louisiana

USS Louisiana (1861)

The second USS Louisiana was a propeller-driven iron hull steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Steamboat Origins:...

 was selected as the powder ship, taken to Hampton Roads, stripped, and partially laden with explosives. On December 13, Sassacus took Louisiana into tow and pulled her to Beaufort, North Carolina

Beaufort, North Carolina

Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...

 where she took on additional explosives. Sassacus, accompanied by Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 David Dixon Porter

David Dixon Porter

David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...

's fleet, then got underway and towed the fully loaded Louisiana to the mouth of the Cape Fear, arriving off Fort Fisher on December 18. There, for five days, bad weather prevented USS Wilderness from towing the giant bomb into position for detonation. Finally, on the night of December 23–December 24, Wilderness managed to get Louisiana within 200 to 300 yards of the shore. At 1:18 A.M., a great blast shook and lighted the area for many miles, but left Fort Fisher undamaged.

The task of leveling the Confederate works was left to naval gunfire, and Sassacus readily joined in the bombardment which began at daylight on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

 and was maintained throughout the day. That night, the wooden ships withdrew to anchor in deeper waters, and Porter's ironclads continued harassing fire during the darkness. On Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 morning, the wooden ships reformed their battle line and opened fire at 10:30. In the afternoon, troops landed; but, after receiving a pessimistic report on a reconnaissance of the fortress, General Butler ordered his troops to reembark on their transports. During the next two days, while laboring to return the last of the troops to ships, Sassacuss launch and second cutter were both damaged in the heavy surf, abandoned on the beach under orders from Brigadier General

Brigadier General

Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

 Newton Martin Curtis

Newton Martin Curtis

Newton Martin Curtis was a Union brigadier general during the American Civil War and a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.-Early life:...

, and later destroyed.

Disappointed by Butler's indecisive leadership, Admiral Porter managed to get General Grant to commit the Army to a prompt return to Fort Fisher. The new task force, containing a reinforced Army contingent commanded by Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 Alfred Terry

Alfred Terry

Alfred Howe Terry was a Union general in the American Civil War and the military commander of the Dakota Territory from 1866 to 1869 and again from 1872 to 1886.-Early life and career:...

, arrived at Beaufort on January 8, 1865 but was held up there by bad weather. The ships got underway again on January 12.

The next day, Sassacus joined in the pre-invasion bombardment, and then, as her boats were landing troops, shelled the woods ahead of the Union skirmish line. On January 14, she continued the barrage while her boats and working parties landed artillery and provisions for the Army and also helped to replenish the monitor

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...

s' magazines.

On January 15, the ship landed a party of 37 volunteers from her crew to join a naval assault force. Although Confederate defenders repulsed the ensuing spirited attack by sailors and marines storming Fort Fisher's seaward wall, in doing so, they neglected to defend adequately the opposite side of the stronghold and allowed Terry's troops to enter from the beach along the Cape Fear. That night, after the Southern garrison had surrendered, two men of the Sassacus party were killed by a magazine explosion, swelling the double-ender's casualty list for the operation to three killed and three wounded.

Late and post war service

For more than a month, Sassacus fought with Porter against Southern fortifications up the Cape Fear, and was on hand for the fall of Fort Anderson

Fort Anderson

Fort Anderson can refer to:*Fort Anderson — A Union fort used in the American Civil War and site of the Battle of Paducah, Kentucky*Fort Anderson — A Confederate fort used in the American Civil War...

 and Fort Strong

Fort Strong

Fort Strong is located on Long Island in Boston Harbor.It was originally named Long Island Military Reservation until 1899.Camp Wightman, a Civil War training camp, was located on the island in 1861....

. During operations against the latter, she was hit three times, once by a shot below her waterline which caused heavy leaking. Late in February, the durable double-ender was ordered back to the James River to support Grant as he closed his stranglehold on the southern capital. After the Confederacy collapsed, Sassacus cruised 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...

 to prevent any possible attempt of conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 to escape by sea. Upon her return to Hampton Roads on May 2, the ship, in need of extensive repairs, was ordered north. She sailed for Philadelphia on the evening of May 4. Sassacus was decommissioned and was laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on May 13, 1865. She was sold there on August 28, 1868 to John Roach

John Roach

John Robert Roach was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 1975 to 1995.-Biography:...

.