USS Varuna (1861)
USS Varuna rammed by CSS Stonewall Jackson
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Namesake | Varuna |
Builder | Mallory Yard, Mystic, Connecticut |
Laid down | January or February 1861 |
Launched | September 1861 |
Acquired | 31 December 1861 |
Commissioned | February 1862 |
Out of service | 24 April 1862 |
Fate | Sunk in action 24 April 1862 |
General characteristics | |
Tons burthen | 1,247 tons burthen or 1,300 tons |
Length | 218 ft (66 m) |
Beam | 34 ft 8 in (10.57 m) |
Depth of hold | 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Complement | 157 |
Armament |
|
USS Varuna was a
Construction and characteristics
The American Civil War broke out in April, and the Union adopted the Anaconda Plan, which involved blockading the Confederate coastline and taking control of the Mississippi River. At the beginning of the war, the Union Navy had only 42 ships still considered active, with others mothballed and in poor condition. Many of the existing active ships were too large to enter the ports that would need to be blockaded. The Union found itself needing a number of new ships in order to fulfill the new operations goals.[1]
Varuna, who was named after
According to naval historian Paul H. Silverstone, she had a
Service history
Varuna was
In January, the commander of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Flag Officer
Varuna sunk in action
Farragut assigned 17 warships for the attack on the forts, dividing them into three groups. Varuna was one of eight ships in the first group, which was tasked with moving up the eastern side of the river to engage Fort St. Philip.
The two ships then began a chase upriver.
At this point, the two ships were about 10 feet (3.0 m) apart, but could barely see each other due to dense smoke.
By mid-morning, Farragut had 13 of his ships upriver past the forts. Most of the Confederate ships present had been sunk, and the two forts surrendered on 28 April, after their garrisons mutinied. After neutralizing Confederate defenses at
Notes
- ^ Naval historian Chester G. Hearn and historian John D. Winters state that the third ramming blow was delivered by the gunboat CSS R. J. Breckinridge.[18][20]
References
- ^ Calore 2002, pp. 38, 41, 43, 49.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Varuna I (ScGbt)". Naval History and Heritage Command. 21 October 2015. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d Silverstone 1989, p. 81.
- ^ a b c d e Gaines 2008, p. 75.
- ^ Hearn 1995, p. 271.
- ^ Calore 2002, pp. 109–113.
- ^ Calore 2002, pp. 140, 153–155.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, p. 33.
- ^ Calore 2002, pp. 156–158.
- ^ Hearn 1995, pp. 206.
- ^ Hearn 1995, p. 210.
- ^ Winters 1991, pp. 91, 94.
- ^ Hearn 1995, pp. 221–222.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 162–163.
- ^ a b c d e Hearn 1995, p. 222.
- ^ a b c d e Chatelain 2020, p. 163.
- ^ Calore 2002, p. 159.
- ^ a b Hearn 1995, p. 223.
- ^ a b Chatelain 2020, p. 164.
- ^ Winters 1991, p. 94.
- ^ Luraghi 1996, p. 161.
- ^ McPherson 2012, pp. 64–67.
Sources
- Calore, Paul (2002). Naval Campaigns of the Civil War. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-1217-4.
- Chatelain, Neil P. (2020). Defending the Arteries of Rebellion: Confederate Naval Operations in the Mississippi River Valley, 1861–1865. El Dorado Hills, California: Savas Beatie. ISBN 978-1-61121-510-6.
- Gaines, W. Craig (2008). Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: ISBN 978-0-8071-3274-6.
- Hearn, Chester G. (1995). The Capture of New Orleans 1862. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-1945-8.
- Luraghi, Raimondo (1996). A History of the Confederate Navy. Translated by Coletta, Paolo E. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-527-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8078-3588-3.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1989). Warships of the Civil War Navies. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-783-6.
- ISBN 0-8071-1725-0.