Arthur Sinclair CSN

This man had command of the CSS Mississippi in her very brief career in the Confederate Navy.

Last month, I wrote about his long years of service in the U.S. Navy.  His father was a Navy officer in the War of 1812 and all three of his sons followed him into the U.S. Navy, but resigned in 1861 and joined the Confederate Navy. I will write about the other  two's careers in the next two blog entries.

From "Officers of the Confederate States Navy, 1861-1865:  As Compiled by the U.S. Navy."

ARTHUR SINCLAIR

Born in Virginia.  Appointed from Virginia.  Formerly commander, U.S. Navy, Service Virginia Navy.

Commander C.S. Navy June 10, 1861. Commander, October 23 1862, to rank from from March 26, 1861.

Drowned in the  foundering of blockade runner Lelia, January 14, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

Arthur Sinclair, CSN-- Part 2: Former Officer in U.S. Navy

Arthur Sinclair, CSN, lost his life when the blockade runner Lelia sank off Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Nassau and before running the blockade into Wilmington, North Carolina.  I have been writing about the unfortunate sinking of this ship in this blog.

From Find a Grave.

Arthur Sinclair was an officer in the U.S. Navy before resigning to join the Confederate Navy.  He joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 13 on 4 March 1823 as a midshipman.  His commission as a lieutenant came on  3 March 1835 and commander on 14 September 1855.

He was involved in the expedition of Japan (under Commodore Matthew Perry) which tried to open the country;s ports to American commerce.  He commanded the USS Supply which carried gifts to the Japanese in friendship and to show what American industry could produce.

--Old B-Runner

The Blockade Runner Lelia That Didn't-- Part 6: Sinclair's Burial

Richard Taylor added that Federal forces had since occupied Norfolk, Virginia, and had  "ejected Mrs. Sinclair and her family from their home with great barbarity."

Captain Sinclair had lost his previous ship near Bermuda in 1864 before his voyage on the ill-fated Lelia and was said by Taylor to have been at the siege of Vicksburg.  His funeral took place on third June 1865 in Fleetwood and was attended by his two sons, Arthur Jnr and Terry.

His gravestone bears the inscription, "Sacred to the memory of Captain Arthur Sinclair of Norfolk Virginia who perished in the wreck of the Lelia--  January 14th, 1865.  Not lost but gone before."

In addition to Sinclair, Thomas Miller, Captain Skinner, Mr. Robson, J.B. Cropper an all the officers of the Lelia drowned--  only 12 were saved.

At the subsequent inquiry,  it was recorded that the Lelia was a well found ship but the fact that her four boats were without oarlocks contributed to the large loss of life..

--Old B-Runner

The Blockade Runner Lelia That Didn't-- Part 5" "Profits From His Exploits"

Continued from  the October 18, 2019, blog entry.  This from "When Liverpool was Dixie:The Sad Voyage of the Lelia The Blockade Runner that didn't."

An inquest as to the cause of the sinking was held at Fleetwood on June 2, 1865 at the Steamer Hotel.

In attendance were Richard Taylor, former Paymaster of the CSS Florida, the Confederate warship built at Millers yard.  Taylor was living in Liverpool at the time, following his release by federal authorities after being captured on board the Florida  when she was rammed in the port of Bahia, Brazil -- a violation of International Law.

He informed the committee that he identified the body for the police from the watch, clothing and accompanying documents that related to a 1300 pound deposit with Crenshaw and Company of Liverpool.

In a subsequent interview with a reporter of the Fleetwood Chronicle, Taylor said that Sinclair had left instructions, in the event of his death or capture, that 100 pounds be paid from this sum to each of his sons, the remainder to his wife.

According to Taylor, Sinclair had run the blockade successfully from Nassau to Wilmington on several occasions and this deposit was  presumably  profits from his exploits.

--Old B-Runner

The Blockade Runner Lelia That Didn't-- Part 4: Arthur Sinclair's Body Identified By His Watch

The two boats from the Lelia still afloat made for the lightship Prince, some six miles away, but one was sunk when it struck the ship.    Only twelve survivors got aboard the lightship.  They were able to signal the tug boat Blazer, who, the next morning was able to alert the life boat crews and while going to the scene of the sinking towing Life Boat #1 was swamped and only four of the 11 on board survived.

It was another day before the Lelia's survivors could be gotten from the lightship.

On May 31st, the body of Commander Arthur Sinclair, CSN, was found by a fishing boat some ten miles out to sea.  "His skeletal remains were still clothed, even to his cravat held in place by a gold and agate pin.  His overcoat  was still buttoned up and he had retained his pocket watch in his breast pocket," reported the Fleetwood Chronicle.

Ironically, the watch had stopped at 4:10--  approximately the time that the Lelia sank and helped lead to the identification of the body.  Liverpool police determined it was the one he had bought in Liverpool for the considerable sum of 40 pounds.

The watch chain and ornaments were gifts to Sinclair from Mr. Robson, who also died that night.

--Old B-Runner

Blockade Runner Lelia That Didn't-- Part 3: Huge Storm

Continued from earlier this month.

The Lelia was already low in the water because of her heavy cargo and the storm was getting worse.  This account of her last hours was put together from the few survivors of the sinking.

When the Lelia arrived off the Grand Orme, she had been running into the teeth of the storm for four hours.  Captain Skinner, fearing the weather would get worse and the more exposed run to decided to slow down and hoist the anchors inboard.

As the crew struggled to carry out the orders, a huge wave crashed into the ship, causing the pea of one of the anchors to crash through the deck.  Another huge wave crashed into the ship, washing away the iron of a scuttle and the ship began to fill with water.  With more waves crashing over the Lelia, the ship became unable to answer her helm.

By now the ship was helpless and drifting in the battering waves.  Her four boats were ordered to be lowered as confusion and panic set in.  Commander Sinclair,CSN, and the pilot were lowered in the first boat which was swamped as soon as hit the water.

The second and third boats were lowered and got away with about 30 men.  It is not known if the fourth boat got off before Captain Skinner was seen to go down with his ship.

--Old B-Runner

The Blockade Runner Lelia That Didn't-- Part 2: The Storm

On January 5, 1865, the Lelia sailed from the Mersey River with a 700 ton cargo of coal, iron and general merchandise and according to the Illustrated London News of 28 January, "would have taken a much more valuable  cargo in Bermuda to attempt to run  the blockade into Wilmington."

Her crew totalled  49, 20 of whom were engine room and several passengers which included Thomas Miller, a son of the builder and J.B. Cropper, a Liverpool merchant.    Also listed as passengers were a Mr. Robeson and Arthur Sinclair--  a commander in the Confederate Navy and a native of Virginia.

For this part of the journey, the Lelia was commanded by Captain Thomas Buxton Skinner.  Arthur Sinclair would take over for the run from Bermuda to Wilmington when the protection of the British flag would not have made her immune from Union blockading ships.

Soon after leaving the  Mersey, the winter weather turned nasty and as she headed for the Welsh coast the seas got worse.  Already running low because of her heavy cargo, the Lelia was in great danger.

--Old B-R'er

The Blockade Runner Lelia That Wasn't-- Part 1: Brand New and At Top of Her Craft

Last month I wrote about this ship whose wreck has now become a protected site and shows how Liverpool and England, although officially neutral, was very involved on the Confederate side during the Civil War.  This is a very complete account of her last voyage.

From the csa-dixie.com/liverpool-dixie/Lelia.htm.  When Liverpool was Dixie a tribute to Commander Dunwoody Bulloch Confederate States Navy.

THE SAD VOYAGE OF  THE LELIA THE BLOCKADE RUNNER THAT DIDN'T.

The steel paddle wheel steamer Lelia was built in the Toxteth Dock yard of William C. Miller & Co..  She was 640 gross tons and 252 feet long by 30 foot beam and drew 12'6" of water.  Her engines were by Fawcett Preston & Co., and were rated at  a nominal 300 h.p. and following her successful completion, plans were made  before Christmas for her maiden voyage.

With her owners no doubt looking forward to the large profits ahead, remembering the famous blockade runner Banshee that was built in Liverpool and, before its capture on 21 November 1863, had realized a 700% profit for her owners, Mr. William Gladstone and the Duke of Winchester among them.

--Old B-Runner

Blockade Runner Lelia-- Part 2: The Cargo May Be Well Preserved

The Daily Mail article was accompanied by several pictures

**  The first was a multi beam sonar image of the wreck as it is today.

**  A black and white illustration of the time showing the Lelia sinking and Liverpool Lifeboat No. 1.

**  Another picture of the wreck from a different angle.

**  Picture of a paddle wheel on the ship.

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

Wreckage still remaining:  one of the paddle wheels,  the engine and boiler rooms,  less well-preserved cargo areas,  and a steam winch.

The deck and all the structures on it hasn't survived and a lot of the hull remains buried in the seabed so there is the potential for a well-preserved cargo of British manufactured munitions and machinery destined for the Confederacy.

--Old B-Runner

Blockade Runner Lelia-- Part 1: Built Specifically to Run the Blockade

From the August 29, 2019, London Daily Mail  "Wreck of the 19th century ship in Liverpool Bay built secretly to help slave -owning Confederate  forces in the US Civil War is granted special protection" by Jack Newman.

I am not sure why the English press made such a big deal about the Confederacy having slaves in their articles about the ship.

**  Was a purposefully-built ship to run the Union blockade.

**  Sank in a ferocious storm on its maiden voyage, January 14, 1865 with loss of 47 on board.  Now at bottom of Liverpool Bay.

**  Another seven lives lost when Liverpool No. 1 Lifeboat  sank while trying to  pick up Lelia survivors.

**  Built at Millers Shipyard in Toxteth, one of a small number of ships built in England in complicity with the Confederacy.  (Again, complicity as if that was a bad thing?)

**  Wreck discovered and identified in the 1990s when a bell marked "Lelia 1864" found.

**  Partially buried remains are 50 feet deep , 10 miles north west of Hilbre Point on the Wirral.

--Old B-Runner

Sunken Blockade Runner Lelia Gets Protected Status-- Part 2

The ship has been granted protection by the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport  on the advice of Historic England.

Recreational divers can still descend to the site, but they are not allowed to remove anything from the wreck.

The partially buried (there is a sonar photo of the remains accompanying the article) about 50 feet deep. 10 miles  north-west of Hibre Point on the Wirral.

Heritage minister Rebecca Pow said protecting  the site "helps us preserve an important story about Britain's role in the American Civil War."

--Old B-Runner

Sunken Blockade Runner Lelia Gets Protective Status-- Part 1

From August 30, 2019, BBC News  "US Civil War  steamship that sank in Liverpool gets protected status."

The steamship Lelia left Liverpool, England, in January 1865 on her maiden voyage bound for Bermuda and a run through the blockade but foundered in the bay in a huge storm.  Forty-seven crew members died, as did seven rescuers.

The ship now is at the bottom of Liverpool Bay and Historic England now says  the wreck is "significant as historical evidence."

It was built at Millers Shipyard in Toxteth, with the intention of running the American blockade into a Confederate port.  "The Lelia is one of a small group of British ships involved in British complicity in running guns and munitions to the confederates," said Duncan Wilson of Historic England.

Though the United Kingdom was officially neutral in the American conflict this ship is evidence that the country was not so neutral.

--Old B-Runner