Yesterday, I mentioned this ship sinking after a collission with the transport General Meigs by Hampton Roads on June 24, 1863.
I never heard of this ship, so it be Wiki time.
The USS Sumpter was built in 1853 and as the merchant steamer Atlanta, chartered by the U.S. Navy in 1858 for an expedition to punish Paraguay for firing on the USS Water Witch ( a ship that I have written much about in this blog and in my Saw the Elephant Civil War blog). After which, the ship cruised off Cuba and Africa intercepting the slave trade.
The Navy bought the 163-foot, 24.4-inch beam ship in 1859 and it became the USS Sumpter.In January 1862, it joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and participated in the Charleston blockade and was stationed for awhile in Florida.
In 1863, it was transferred to the North Atlantic Blockading squadron based primarily out of Hampton Roads, Virginia until its collision with the General meigs. It sank 8-9 miles from Smith Island Lighthouse in seven fathoms of water. The crew was rescued by the Jamestown.
Story of a Ship. --Old B-Runerr
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