USS Curlew (1862)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Curlew.

History
Union Navy Jack United States
NameCurlew (originally Florence)
NamesakeCurlew
AcquiredDecember 17, 1862
CommissionedFebruary 16, 1863
DecommissionedJuly 5, 1865
FateSold, August 17, 1865
General characteristics
Type
Stern-wheel steamer, converted into a gunboat
Tonnage196 tons
Length159 ft (48 m)
Beam32 ft 1 in (9.78 m)
Draught4 ft (1.2 m)
Propulsion2x steam engines
Speed4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Armament8x 24-pounder howitzers (February 1863)
ArmourTinclad

USS Curlew was a

Pratt's Texas Battery while on the Mississippi River, and on November 4 of that same year, was near the action of the Battle of Johnsonville but was unable to join the fighting. Decommissioned
on June 5, 1865, she was sold in mid-August and her further career is unknown.

Construction and characteristics

In 1862, the

pilothouse.[5]

Service history

Map showing the Tensas, Red, Ouachita, and Mississippi Rivers, all of which Curlew served on

On February 17, 1863, Curlew left

Black River, Tensas River, and Ouachita River. The Union ships captured two steamers (one in a tributary of the Black River and the other in the Tensas), destroyed two others, and also destroyed a sawmill, a quantity of lumber, and Confederate supplies.[1][11] Turner was killed by a provost marshal in August and was replaced by acting Ensign H. B. O'Neill.[12]

From December 23 through January 14, 1864, Curlew saw service on the

timberclad USS Tyler to come to her aid, but the Confederate artillery left before Tyler arrived.[13] No sailors on Curlew were injured during the fighting.[14]

On May 31, Curlew returned to Mound City before again going on the Mississippi on June 30. Patrolling between Natchez, Mississippi, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, she sometimes skirmished with Confederate land forces. She then moved upriver on October 24 to again serve on the Ohio and the Tennessee.[1] On November 4, Curlew was part of a group of six steamers that came to the aid of the gunboats USS Key West, USS Tawah, and USS Elfin who were heavily engaged with Confederate artillery on shore during the Battle of Johnsonville. The narrowness of the Tennessee River at that location and Confederate shore fire prevented Curlew and the other five would-be relief ships from rescuing Key West, Tawah, and Elfin, and the latter three were destroyed.[15] From February 1865 to mid-June of that year, Curlew was tasked with making surveys of the river near Cairo and Mound City.[1] A military return dated March 1 indicated that Curlew was assigned to the Ninth District of the Mississippi River Squadron, was armed with eight cannons, and was commanded by acting Master M. Hickey,[16] while another dated April 1 listed her as being assigned to special duty, still under the command of Hickey.[17] She was decommissioned on July 5[2] and sold at an auction on August 17 for $7,600.[4] Her further career is unknown.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Curlew I (Stern-wheel Steamer)". Naval History and Heritage Command. July 6, 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Silverstone 1989, p. 171.
  3. ^ Konstam 2013, p. 38.
  4. ^ a b Official Records 1921, p. 69.
  5. ^ a b Silverstone 1989, p. 165.
  6. ^ Palucka 2017, p. 73.
  7. ^ Official Records 1911, pp. 673–674.
  8. ^ Official Records 1912, p. 141.
  9. ^ Official Records 1912, pp. 156–157.
  10. ^ Official Records 1912, p. 158.
  11. ^ Official Records 1912, p. 264.
  12. ^ Official Records 1912, p. 384.
  13. ^ Smith 2021, p. 145.
  14. ^ Official Records 1914, pp. 323–324.
  15. ^ Civil War Naval Chronology 1971, pp. IV-129–IV-130.
  16. ^ Official Records 1917, pp. 76, 78.
  17. ^ Official Records 1917, pp. 127, 129.

Sources

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