FEBRUARY 15TH, 1865: The USS Merrimac was abandoned in a sinking condition at sea off the coast of Florida in the Gulf Stream. The tiller had broken in a gale, the pumps could not keep up with the incoming water and two boilers had given out.
Having fought for 24 hours to save his ship, Acting Master William Earle finally ordered her abandoned. The mail steamer Morning Star, which had been standing by the disabled gunboat for several hours, rescued the crew.
--Old B-Runner
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