Information AboutCss Curlew |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CSS CURLEW | |
| naval ships of the confederate states of america | |
| steamships | |
| shipwrecks of the carolina coast | |
| paddle steamers | |
| maritime incidents in 1862 | |
| curlew | |
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THE STEAMBOAT The ''Curlew'' was built in 1856 by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Iron Shipbuilding Company of Wilmington, Delaware. It was 135 feet long, 23 feet wide, 8-foot depth of hold, and listed at 236 tons. Its average draft was 5 feet, which suited the shallow waters of North Carolina sounds. The steamboat had side paddle wheels that were 18 feet in diameter by 8 feet wide. The ''Curlew'' had no figurehead, a round stern, and no mast. A Walking Beam Engine with a 29-inch diameter cylinder and a 9-foot stroke powered the new steamer. This type of engine had a distinctive trapezoidal-shaped rocker arm mounted between the paddle wheels, which transmitted power from the piston rod to the crank on the paddlewheel shaft. For improved efficiency, the ''Curlew's'' engine was equipped with the Sickle's Patented Cutoff Valve . Steam was provided by a two furnace return-flue boiler 18 feet long, 7 feet high, and 8 feet wide, and rated at 30 Lbf/in&2 (210 KPa ) of pressure. It started operating in North Carolina in July of 1856. (Olson 1997) History The ''Curlew'' was built for Thomas D. Warren, a doctor and plantation owner from Edenton, North Carolina. She operated as passenger and cargo transportation in the Albemarle Sound region, running between Edenton, Hertford, Elizabeth City and Nag's Head. Her first captain was Richard Halsey, who was later replaced by Thomas Burbage in 1858. After the Civil War broke out the ''Curlew'' was initially used as a troop transport, ferrying troops and supplies to various defensive works along the North Carolina coast. The ''Curlew'' was acquired by the Confederate Navy after Hatteras Inlet fell to Union forces in August 1861. It was outfitted with one rifled 32-pound cannon in the bow and one 12-pound smoothbore cannon in the stern. Under the command of Thomas T. Hunter (also known as Tornado Hunter) it was involved in the capture of the supply boat ''Fanny'' at Chicamacomico on October 1, 1861. Between October and February 1862 the ''Curlew'' alternately patrolled Pamlico sound and harassed Union shipping at Hatteras Inlet. On February 7 the ''Curlew'' and 8 other Confederate gunboats attempted to repel the Union invasion of Roanoke Island. During this battle the ''Curlew'' was holed by a shell and run aground to keep from sinking. The next day it was set on fire when the Confederate forces on Roanoke Island surrendered. The remaining Confederate gunboats withdrew to Elizabeth City, where all but 2 were destroyed or captured on February 10. (Olson 1997) Afterwards, Captain Hunter commented to another gunboat captain that during the battle he suddenly realized that his pants were gone, even though he knew he put on a pair that morning. (Parker 1985) The ''Curlew's'' engine was salvaged in 1863, after which the wreck was allowed to decay. It was located in 1988 by a group of international divers working for the state of North Carolina's Underwater Archaeological Unit. In 1994 the wreck was documented by state divers and students from East Carolina University. (Olson 1997) REFERENCES Christopher Olson, ''An Historical and Archaeological Investigation of the CSS Curlew''; Masters Thesis, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina,1997. William Parker, ''Recollections of a Naval Officer'', Naval Institute Press, 1985. SEE ALSO |
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