USRC Kewanee
History | |
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Name | USRC Kewanee |
Namesake | Kewanee, Illinois |
Owner | United States Revenue Cutter Service |
Builder | J. A. Robb & Co. ( Baltimore, MD ) |
Launched | 23 Sep 1863 |
Commissioned | 15 Aug 1864 |
Decommissioned | 1867 |
In service | 15 Aug 1864–1869 |
Renamed | Musashi (after 1867 sale) |
Fate | Sold, 10 July 1867; exploded at Yokohama, 1869 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Pawtuxet-class cutter |
Displacement | 350 tons |
Length | 130 ft (40 m) |
Beam | 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) |
Draft | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) (aft) |
Depth of hold | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
Propulsion | 1 × two-cylinder oscillating steam engine; single 8 ft (2.4 m) screw |
Sail plan | Topsail schooner |
Speed | About 12 knots |
Complement | 7 × officers, 34 enlisted |
Armament |
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USRC Kewanee was a
Commissioned in August 1864, Kewanee served out the last eight months of the war on convoy and patrol duty along the East Coast of the United States. In the postwar period, she participated in the usual duties of a revenue cutter, including patrolling for contraband and aiding vessels in distress.
Due to dissatisfaction with her machinery, Kewanee was sold into merchant service after less than three years in the Revenue Marine. Renamed Musashi, she was sent to Japan, where she was destroyed by an explosion in 1869.
Construction and design
Kewanee, one of six Pawtuxet-class screw
Kewanee was 130 feet (40 m) long, with a
Service history
American Civil War, 1864–65
Kewanee was commissioned on 15 August 1864, with Captain William C. Pease placed in command.
In February 1865, Kewanee, along with her sister ship
On April 9, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, effectively bringing to an end the American Civil War. A few days later, on April 14, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. On the day of his burial, Kewanee paid tribute by firing a 36 minute gun salute.[6]
Postwar service, 1865–67
In the postwar period, Kewanee was assigned to the usual revenue cutter duties of boarding ships to check papers and searching for
On December 29, Kewanee's commander, Captain William Cooke Pease, died of typhoid fever aged 46. An "efficient officer, [who] had won the respect and esteem of all",[13] Pease's contributions to the Revenue Marine had included two voyages around Cape Horn to the West Coast, and the design of a number of revenue cutters for operation on the Great Lakes.[14]
Kewanee was still operating from Charleston in late 1866.[15] In March 1867, Kewanee towed to sea the brig Active, which had run aground on the Florida Reef in the vicinity of Pavanier Key some days earlier.[16]
By this time, the Revenue Marine had concluded that its Pawtuxet-class cutters, still less than three years old, were unsuitable for the service due to their "too complicated" engines. An order for the sale of Kewanee was consequently submitted on 28 May, and the vessel was sold on 10 July for $25,100.[1]
Merchant service, 1867–69
Kewanee then entered service as the merchant ship Musashi. After a voyage to
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e "Kewanee, 1863", U.S. Coast Guard website.
- ^ Scharf, p. 145.
- ^ "The New Revenue Cutters—The Launch of Two of Them", The New York Times, 1863-07-10.
- ^ a b "Naval News", The New York Times, 1864-11-02.
- ^ "Woodbury", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History & Heritage Command website.
- ^ a b c d Parton, pp. 30-31.
- ^ "Marine Intelligence", The New York Times, 1864-09-13.
- ^ "Naval Intelligence", The New York Times, 1864-11-21.
- ^ "Marine Intelligence", The New York Times, 1865-02-15.
- ^ "Marine Intelligence", The New York Times, 1865-02-20.
- ^ "Marine Intelligence", The New York Times, 1865-04-05.
- ^ "A Timely Rescue", The New York Times, 1865-12-29.
- ^ American Annual Cyclopedia, p. 661.
- ^ "William Cooke Pease Collection", Martha's Vineyard Museum website.
- ^ No title, Baltimore Sun, p. 4, 1866-10-04 (paysite).
- ^ "Shipping Intelligence—Memoranda", The Morning Chronicle, p. 3, 1867-04-04.
Bibliography
- D. Appleton & Co. (1869): The American Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1865, p. 661, D. Appleton & Co., New York.
- Parton, Charles W. (1992): From Sanderson's to Alley's: A Biography of the West Tisbury General Store, pp. 30–31, Carter Hill Farm Publishers.
- Scharf, J. Thomas (1881): History of Baltimore City and County, From the Earliest Period to the Present Day, p. 145, Louis H. Everts, Philadelphia.