USS Roanoke-- Part 23: Not a Successful Ironclad Monitor

Initial plans called for four turrets on the new monitor, but only three were placed.    Her masts, rigging and everything except smokestack was removed above the gundeck.  Little to nothing was done to reinforce the hull which proved to be a major problem.

Those three turrets, however, mounted some really heavy pieces of artillery:  two muzzle loading 15-inch Dahlgren, two 11-inch Dahlgrens and two eight inch 150-pdr. Parrott rifles.  No turret had two of the same two caliber guns, however.

Commissioned 29 June 1863.

Her initial commander as an ironclad was Captain Benjamin F. Sands (who was also at the battles of Fort Fisher while in command of the USS Fort Jackson),  He reported that on the trip from New York to Hampton Roads that the ship rolled heavily that it would be impossible to use its guns.

On 14 July, Sands test fired his guns for the first time and three of the guns dismounted because of the bad recoil.  It was decided that the Roanioke would serve only as harbor defense for Hampton Roads, where she spent the rest of the war.

She was decommissioned in 1875 and sold for scrap in 1883.

--Old B-Runner

USS Roanoke-- Part 22: Sister Ship of USS Merrimak and At Battle of Hampton Roads

The USS Roanoke was named after the Roanoke River in Virginia and North Carolina.  She was laid down in Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia  in May 1854 and launched in December 1855.  It had an inauspicious start when it sank during the launching and had to be refloated.

She was commissioned  on 4 May 1857 with Captain John B. Montgomery in command.  One of her early duties was to transport  William Walker and his fillibuster men back from Central America.  After that, she returned to Central America to await  the arrival of the first Japanese embassy to the United States.

At the start of the Civil War, the Roanoke was assigned to the  North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and made some captures of blockade runners off Lockwood Folly Inlet, N.C. and off Charleston, S.C.

It was at the Battle of Hampton Roads where her former sister ship, the  USS Merrimack had been turned into the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia.  But her  deep draft prevented her from engaging.  After the battle, she ferried survivors of the USS Congress and USS Cumberland to New York City.

Upon arrival, she was decommissioned  and reconstruction began to convert her into a monitor.

--Old B-Runner

USS Roanoke-- Part 21: General Characteristics as Frigate and Monitor

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS (as a frigate)

Length:  263.8 feet

Beam:  51.4 feet

Complement:  674

Armament:  

One 10-inch Dahlgren gun

Twenty-eight 9-inch Dahlgren guns

Fourteen 8-inch Dahlgren guns

***********************************

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS (as a monitor)

Complement:   347

Armament (in three turrets)

Two 15-inch Dahlgren guns

Two 150-pdr.  Parrott rifles

Two 11-inch Dahlgren guns

--Old B-Runner

MCCWRT Discussion Group Topic 'Confederate Commerce Raiders' Feb. 25

The McHenry County Civil War Round Table (MCCWRT) will be having their next discussion group this Saturday, February 25 at Panera Bread in Crystal Lake, Illinois (US Highway 12 and Main Street).

The topic is Confederate Commerce Raiders.'

It will be from 10 am to 11:30 am.  

This will be an in person and Zoom event.

All are welcome and we usually manage to stay on topic a fair amount of time.  Member or not, come on down.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 20: The USS Roanoke, A Steam Frigate Converted to the First Three Turret Monitor

The second ship John B. Montgomery commanded was the USS Roanoke, one of the most powerful and newest ships in the U.S. Navy when the Civil War started.

From Wikipedia.

The USS Roanoke was a wooden-hulled Merrimack-class screw frigate.  There were a total of six of these ships in that class.  Three of them, the USS Minnesota, USS Colorado and USS Wabash took part in the bombardments of Fort Fisher.

She served as the flagship for the U.S. Home Fleet in the late 1850s.

She was converted into an ironclad monitor during 1862-1863; the first-ever ship with more than two turrets (three).  

However, her conversion was not very successful as she rolled excessively and the weight of her armor and turrets strained her hull.  Her depth was too much to operate off shallow Confederate ports so spent the rest of her career in harbor defense at Hampton Roads, Virginia.

The Roanoke was placed in reserve after the war and sold for scrap in 1883.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 19: USS Portsmouth

Under John Montgomery's command, sailors from the USS Portsmouth entered the Spanish town of Yerba Bueno and raised the American flag.  Today, this town is known as San Francisco.  It blockaded Mexico's west coast during the Mexican War.

Between the two wars, the Portsmouth was involved with suppressing the West African slave trade and the Pacific Coast.

In December 1861, she joined the Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron and took part in the fight with Forts Jackson and St, Philip that led to the fall of New Orleans.  After that, she served as station ship for New Orleans until the end of the war.

After the war, she served primarily as a training ship  until 1915, making her one long-serving Navy ship.

San Francisco's Bank of America uses  her on an old logo because of her role in the city's history.  The ship's helm was on display in the headquarters reception area in 1995.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 18: Ships John Montgomery Commanded Which Were in the Civil War

Three of the ships John B. Montgomery commanded at one time or another also participated in the Civil War.  They were the USS Portsmouth during the Mexican War, the USS Roanoke before the Civil War and the USS Lancaster in the early part of the war.

I will write about the Civil War service of each one.

**************************

USS Portsmouth

(1843-1878)

The second ship to bear the name USS Portsmouth.  Built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, across from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.   Launched in 1843 and commissioned in 1844 with John Berrien Montgomery commanding.

It was a sailing wooden sloop of war.

It was 151 feet 10 inches long, had a beam of 37 feet 3 inches and a crew of 227.  Armament consisted of  eighteen 32-pdrs. and two 64-pdr shell guns.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery (DD-121)-- Part 17: John B. Montgomery, Namesake

 After the Mexican War, John Montgomery was made executive officer of the Washington Navy Yard in April 1849 and held that position until 1851.  Commissioned  a captain in January 1853 and in April 1857, was placed in command of the USS Roanoke.

He then sailed to Aspinwall in Central America and returned with 250 of William Walker's filibusters.

During the following two years he served on shore duty and 1859-1862, commanded the United States' Pacific Squadron with the USS Lancaster as his flagship.  

On his return to New York, he was placed in waiting for orders until May 1862 when he was given commands of various Navy Yards.

He was made commodore on the retired list in July, 1862 and a rear admiral  on July 25, 1866.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery (DD-121)-- Part 16: John B. Montgomery, Ship's Namesake

From Geni.

Also during the War of 1812, John B. Montgomery participated in attack on Kingston, Upper Canada (Ontario), and capture of Little York, Fort George and Newark

After the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, he received a sword and the thanks of Congress for his services at that battle.  Later he was present during the blockade and attack on Macknaw in August 1814.

Still later, he  was transferred to the USS Ontario under  Commander Stephen Decatur with whom he took part in the Algerine War (2nd Barbary War) of 1815.

Commissioned to the rank of lieutenant in 1818, he continued to rise through the ranks and in 1845, was given the command of the USS Portsmouth in the Navy's Pacific Fleet.  (The Portsmouth also fought in the Civil War.)

When the Mexican War started, he took his ship to San Francisco Bay.  On July 9, 1846, he led a small force from his ship to te coastal town of Yerba Buena and raised the American flag in the town plaza after capturing it without firing a shot.

In 1847, the town would be renamed officially San Francisco.

He also participated in  the blockade of Mazatlan, Mexico, and the bombardment and capture of Guaymas on the Gulf of California.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery (DD-121)-- Part 15: Rear Admiral John B. Montgomery, the Ship's Namesake

From Find-A-Grave.

JOHN BARRIEN MONTGOMERY

BIRTH:  17 November 1794, Allentown, New Jersey

DEATH:  25 March 1873 (aged 78), Carlisle, Pennsylvania

BURIAL:  Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

United States Navy officer.  A native of New Jersey, he joined the U.S. Navy in June 1812, several days before the outbreak of the War of 1812.

Assigned the rank of midshipman, he served throughout with distinction throughout the war, including being aboard  the USS Niagara during the September 13, 1813 Battle of Lake Erie.  This was the ship that Oliver Hazaed Perry moved to after his flagship, the USS Lawrence,  was put out of action at the battle.

--Old B-Runner

The 158th Anniversary of the Fall of Fort Anderson to Be Observed-- Part 2

A pre-Revolutionary War town on the Cape Fear River, Brunswick was once attacked by the Spanish and later partially burned during the war.  It never fully recovered, especially with the rise of Wilmington further up the river.  It was eventually abandoned.

During the Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed on top of some of the ruins of the town and served as part of the defenses below Wilmington before the fall of the Confederacy.

Colonial foundations dot the present-day tour trail, which crosses the earthworks of the Confederate fort.  Today, visitors can see the archaeological ruins of foundations of old Colonial kitchens, home sites and various outbuildings that once stood at the old port town, along with the shell of St. Philips Anglican Church.

Both the old town and the fort are run by the North Carolina Divivion of State Historic Sites.

--Old B-Runner

The 158th Anniversary of the Fall of Fort Anderson to be Observed

Taking a break from RoadTrippin' Thru History with the USS Montgomery.

From the February 7, 2023, WECT (Wilmington, N.C.) TV station.

The 158th anniversary of the fall of Fort Anderson will be commemorated February 18, 2023, at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.

The free activities showing what life was like for soldiers and civilians during the Civil War are scheduled for 10 am to 3 pm.  Visitors will be able to see  infantry demonstrations, medical and embalming practices and presentations throughout the day.

From 6 to 7:30 pm, visitors can witness a reenactment of the final hours at Fort Anderson during the "Screaming Shells and Plunging Shot" program.

Admission for this evening event is $10 for ages 16 and up if purchased online.  It is $15 at the gate.  Under 16 will be admitted for free.

Fort Anderson was part of the defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina, on the Cape Fear River.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery (DD-121)-- Part 14: Named for War of 1812, Mexican War and Civil War Naval Officer

From Wikipedia, a RoadTrippin' Thru History's favorite source.

USS MONTGOMERY (DD-121)

A Wickes-class destroyer during WW I and later reclassified as DM-17 (Destroyer Minelayer) when it participated in WW II.  She was the fifth ship to bear the name Montgomery in the U.S. Navy and was named after Admiral John B. Montgomery, a Navy officer in the Mexican War and the Civil War.

It was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Virginia and was launched 23 March 1918, sponsored by Mrs. Andrew Jones, a descendant of Admiral Montgomery.  The destroyer was commissioned  on 26 July 1918.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Length:  314 feet 5 inches

Beam: 31.8 feet

Complement:  113 enlisted and officers

Speed:  35  knots

Armament:

Four 4-inch guns

Two 3-inch guns

Twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes

One depth charge protector

Two depth charge tracks

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 13: The WW I and WW II Destroyer USS Montgomery (DD-121)

Right now, we are taking a RoadTrip through history with the USS Montgomery.  This is the fifth ship to bear the name, starting with the American Revolution with the first one, then the War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War and now both World Wars up to the current ship of that name.

One of the things I do when RoadTrippin' is to find out how the ship got its name.

The first two were named after American hero, Gen. Richard Montgomery who was killed in the American Revolution,  I believe the third Montgomery had its name because that was the ship's name when the U.S. Navy purchased the ship during the Civil War.  

The 4th USS Montgomery was named after the capital of Alabama.  The current one (the 6th of that name) was also named after the state capital.

The 5th one, the USS Montgomery (DD-121) was named after Rear Admiral John B. Montgomery.  He was a veteran of the Mexican War and Civil War.  U.S. destroyers are traditionally named after people.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 12: The Spanish-American War and WW I

During the Spanish-American War, she cruised near Cuba and Haiti in April 1898 and in May joined the blockade of Havana.  On May 5, she took two prizes and shelled Spanish forts a week later.

After decommissioning and recommissioning in  1908, the Montgomery operated as a  torpedo experimental ship and from1914-1918, was a Maryland Naval Militia ship.

Renamed the Anniston  14 March 1918, she patrolled and escorted off the U.S. Atlantic Coast during World War I.

Decommissioned at Charleston on 16 May 1918 and sold 14 November 1919.

--Old B-Runner

RoadTripping With USS Montgomery-- Part 11: The 4th USS Montgomery and Spanish-American War

The 4th USS Montgomery was the lead ship of her class and was rated as an unprotected cruiser.  She served in the Spanish-American War and World War I.

Launched 5 December 1891 by the Columbian  Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland and commissioned 21 June 1894 at Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia.  It was named after Montgomery, Alabama.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Length:  269.10 feet

Beam:  37 feet

Draft:  14.6 feet

Speed:  17 knots

Complement:  30 officers, 249 enlisted

Armament:

Two 6-inch guns

Eight 5-inch guns

Six 6-pounder guns

Two 1-pounder guns

Two Gatlin guns 

Three 18-inch torpedo tubes'

--Old B-Runner

RoadTrippin' With USS Montgomery-- Part 10: The Civil War USS Montgomery

The third USS Montgomery was in the Civil War, which is the basis for all of this.   It was originally a civilian ship that was leased by, and later bought, by the Union Navy near the start of the war.  I wasn't able to find out for sure how it got its name, but think that might have been its name when purchased by the Navy.

Now, I had never heard of any USS Montgomery in the Navy before, much less this one.   And, I kind of pride myself on knowing Civil War naval history.  That would include names of ships.

And, to make matters worse, it was at both battles of my favorite Civil War battle, or for that matter, any historical battle, Fort Fisher.  That was embarrassing.

Fort Fisher is one of my Big Three when it comes to naval/maritime events.  Anytime I come across anything on these three I am sure to read  further.  And, another USS Montgomery was at the second one of the Big Three.  Find out what it is a few posts from now.

I will write more about the third USS Montgomery after I finish with the next two USS Montgomerys.

How Could I Not Know About a Ship at Fort Fisher?  -Old B-Runner

RoadTripping With USS Montgomery-- Part 9: The Second USS Montgomery in War of 1812

Continuing with our roadtrip through history with this ship.

The second USS Montgomery was listed as a sloop or schooner during the War of 1812.

The Wikipedia article said it was built by Thomas Macdonough in 1813 and part of his fleet to keep the British Navy from controlling Lake Champlain.  It participated in convoying  Wade Hampton's troops in their advance to Canada.

The only other two things were that the ship was decommissioned and sold in 1815 and that it was also named after Gen. Richard Montgomery.

This paltry amount of information was surprising in that this ship would have been available to fight in the Battle of Lake Champlain where the American fleet was commanded by Macdonough.  Why wouldn't he have used it?

After further research, I believe that Macdonough wasn't impressed with the ship very much and that there was a naval arms race going on with both the British and Americans launching more and bigger ships.  Evidently, whenever a new ship was launched, Macdonough would take cannons and sailors off the Montgomery.

I have come across mention that the Montgomery and several other ships were left behind at Plattsburgh to defend the town.

--Old B.Runner

RoadTrippin' With the Montgomery-- Part 8: The First USS Montgomery in the American Revolution

Continuing with the Roadtrip Through History with the ships by the name of USS Montgomery.

Like I said earlier, whenever I come across a U.S. warship, I like to see if there were other ships by that name in the Navy.  Always, my first stop is at Wikipedia which has a list of ships by that name.  Makes it easier.  There have been six ships by that name and one of them was in the Civil War which is why I am writing about it here.

The first ship by that name was a frigate ordered by the Continental Congress  during the American Revolution and built on the Hudson River north of New York City.  It was to have carried 24 guns, but it and another frigate, the USS Congress, were both destroyed by the Americans to prevent capture when the British took New York City.

It was one of 13 ships ordered by Congress and was launched in 1776 and burned in 1777.  I did not know that the Americans had a program to build warships during the war.

I also like to find out where the name came from.  My first thought was from the city of Montgomery, Alabama, but I doubt that there was any town there in 1776, maybe an Indian village.

It was named after Richard Montgomery.  Then, he must have been a naval guy.  Turns out he wasn't.  He was an Army general who was killed during the American attack on Quebec.  I didn't even know that we had attacked Canada during the American Revolution.

He was co-commander of the U.S. force with another man often considered the best American general during the war.  And, it wasn't George Washington.  It was a guy by the name of Benedict Arnold.

One other thing about Richard Montgomery was that he had been in the British Army before the war.

That Would be An Interesting Story in Itself.  --Old B-Runner