Battle of Wassaw Sound
| Battle of Wassaw Sound | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Georgia | |
| Result | Union Victory |
United States (Union)
CSA (Confederacy)1 gunboat
2 wooden steamers
16 wounded
1 ironclad captured
The Battle of Wassaw Sound (or the Capture of
Background
On 10 June 1863,
Five days later, in the early evening of 15 June, Atlanta got underway and passed over the lower obstructions in the Wilmington River to get into position for a strike at the Union forces in Wassaw Sound. Webb dropped anchor at 8:00 p.m. and spent the remainder of the night coaling. The next evening ". . . about dark . . .," Webb later reported, he ". . . proceeded down the river to a point of land which would place me in 6 or 7 miles of the monitors, at the same time concealing the ship from their view, ready to move on them at early dawn the next morning."[1]
Battle
Atlanta, accompanied by wooden steamers CSS Isondiga and CSS Resolute, got underway before daylight on 17 June. A percussion torpedo was fitted to a long spar projecting forward from the ram's bow which Webb intended to detonate against Weehawken. During battle maneuvers Atlanta suddenly ran aground and swayed at an angle which made it difficult to shoot. Weehawken held fire until she was at 300 yards (270 m) and then pounded the immobile ship. Nahant had "drawn the fire" of Atlanta allowing Weehawken to draw within firing distance.[1][2]
After receiving five of Weehawken's 350-pound (160 kg) shots, which knocked a hole in her
Aftermath
Atlanta suffered the sole fatality of the battle, as well as 16 wounded. At the time of capture, 21 officers and 124 men, including marines were taken captive. Atlanta was condemned by a
Nahant was involved in the action but withheld fire, which later led to a
References
Bibliography
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- Luraghi, Raymond (1996). A History of the Confederate Navy. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-527-6.