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 (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

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

Cruising with USS Montgomery-- Part 6: There Were Six Ships in U.S. Navy By That Name

As I said in the last post, whenever I'm doing a story about a ship, I like to see of there have been other ships by that name.

Wikipedia is an excellent quick source of information, because by the  ship's name, they have a spot for "Other ships with the same name."  Click on it and a list will come up.

Even though I had never heard of a ship on the U.S. Navy by the name of Montgomery, I found that the new USS Montgomery (LCS-9) is actually the sixth ship to bear that name.  Those names stretch back to the American Revolution and cover much of the country's history.

And there was one from the Civil War, which is why I was making the presentation in a series of Civil War talks.

And, as part of the RoadTrip experience, I will take a look at each of the USS Mongomerys.  I will look at the ship's history, and I am also very interested in for whom or what the ship was named.

--Old B-Runner

Cruising With the USS Montgomery-- Part 5: About the USS Montgomery (LCS-8)

The page in the PVA calendar had some information about the ship, which looks part aircraft carrier aftward.

It is named after the city of Montgomery, Alabama (I always like to find out how U.S. Navy ship's got their name), and was commissioned  10 September 2016.  It is 418 feet long with a 104 foot beam.  Its crew has 40 core members and up to 35 mission crew.

It has one  57 mm gun and a missile launcher and can carry several helicopters.

It was built in Mobile, Alabama.

Another thing I do in RoadTripping Through History is find out if there were any other ships by that name in the Navy.

--Old B-Runner

Cruising With the USS Montgomery-- Part 4: Here We Go (What Is an LCS?)

When you go RoadTrippin' Through History, you start with one thing and then how many other things you can attach to it.  What can you find out?  

So, we're going to take a trip through history and it starts with a current U.S. warship, the USS Montgomery (LCS-8).  I came across a picture of this ship and information on the December 2021 Paralyzed Veterans of America calendar.  I'd never heard of it, nor had I ever heard of any ship in the U.S. Navy by that name.

The first thing I had to do was find out what LCS stood for.  I am aware of many Navy designations for ships.  For example, (DD) means destroyer, (BB) means battleship, (CV) means aircraft carrier and (SS) means submarine.  But what does LCS stand for?

It stands for Littoral Combat Ship.  Next step was to find out what littoral meant.  That was not a word in my general vocabulary.  Looking it up I found that littoral meant something to do with coastal or shallow waters.  The combat ship was easy.  So, this is a ship meant for operating up close to the enemy in shallow coastal waters.

--Old B-Runner

Cruisin' With the USS Montgomery-- Part 1: Who Fought the Civil War?

From my presentation "RoadTrippin' Through History:  The Continuing Saga of the USS Montgomery" that I gave January 19, 2023.

Some of this is written in this blog and other parts are in my Cooter's History Thing and Tattooed on Your Soul: World War II blog.  I am putting it all together in this one now.

I am a history nut.  I love my history and have loved it since I was a young lad of seven in 2nd grade and my dad took me to a Civil War fort in North Carolina called  Fort Fisher.  We were living in North Carolina at the time (I lived there for most of my first ten years).  I did not know anything about the Civil War.

My dad explained to me that the war was fought between the North and the South.  I told him, "Then we were for the North."  He said we weren't.  But, how could that be?  I knew we lived in North Carolina and that South Carolina was right by us.  As such, the Civil War must have been between North and South  Carolina.

Dad said no.  Those weren't the two sides.

I had paid attention at school in geography class and knew there was a South America and we lived in North America.  As such, then we would still be for the North.

Dad said no.

Now, you had a confused young man.  When I got back to school, I checked out a kid's book "The Civil War" by Fletcher Pratt from the library and read and reread several times and started getting an idea about this war.

Well, as they say, the rest is history.  In the 2nd grade I knew I wanted to be a teacher so I could teach history.  And, I was for 33 years.   See what Dad and Fletcher Pratt started.

And Fort Fisher Is Still My Favorite Civil War Battle.  --Old B-Runner

Maybe This Is the Blockade Runner Dan?-- Part 2

In the afternoon of January 7, 1864,  both the Aries and Montgomery left for their blockade stations and the rebel steamer was boarded by the Mangham's  executive officer, who reported that some of the ship's cargo was still aboard.

Collins did not deem it advisable to stay around any longer as night was approaching and did not make any effort to get any of the cargo.  The Union ship then set sail to get farther outside and just after they sailed a short distance, the rebel steamer  exploded with a great crash.  He believed that the fires set by  Union forces the day before had reached her powder.

During the day, groups of rebel cavalry were seen at various points along the beach but no resistance made by them.

So, Was This the Blockade Runner Dan?  --Old B-Runner

Maybe This Is the Blockade Runner Dan?-- Part 1

Again, finding out about this blockade runner is not easy.  However, I came across this entry in the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and the parameters seem to fit the hapless steamer Dan.

Page 224

Report of Acting Master John Collins, Jr., U.S. Navy, commanding  U.S.  schooner  George Mangham, regarding  the destruction of a blockade runner at Lockwood's Folly Inlet, January 7, 1864.

On the afternoon of the 7th, a sail was spotted and the George Mangham got underway and discovered it was a blockade runner being closely pursued by the  U.S. steamers Aries and Montgomery and that it had run ashore.  The U.S. ships sent  boats  in after her.  These boats lost a number of men, including one boat from the Montgomery.

The next moring, the George Mangham was requested to cover a second landing at the blockade runner with the purpose of bringing her off the beach.  The Mangham anchored close in and shelled the beach and rebel steamer at intervals during the morning.

--Old B-Runner

RoadTrippin' With Theo Timby-- Part 3: Some More Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery

Continuing with Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

**  John Harris  (1793-1864)  USMC, commissioned 2nd lt. in 1814.   War of 1812.   Commandant of USMC during first three years of the Civil War.

**  John Berrien Montgomery  (1794-1873)  War of 1812 and at Battle of Lake Erie.  Mexican War.  Also Civil War.  I have written about the USS Montgomery destroyer which was at Pearl Harbor and is named after him in my World War II blog.

**  John George Nicolay  (1832-1901)  Lincoln's personal secretary.  Involved with day to day details of the Lincoln administration.

**  Charles Harting Percy  (1919-2011)  U.S. Senator from Illinois.

**  Jesse Lee Reno   (1823-1862)  USMA graduate Class of 1846.  Classmates included George Pickett, George B. McClellan and Stonewall Jackson.  Mortally wounded September 14, 1862, near Battle of South Mountain in the Antietam Campaign.

--Old B-Runner

Thomas C.Dunn and USS Emma at the First Battle of Fort Fisher-- Part 2

By December 25, 1864, the USS Emma, under the command of Acting Lieut. Volunteer Thomas C. Dunn, was off New Inlet as the naval attack on the fort commenced.  They were listed as being in the Reserve Line (as was the USS Montgomery under  Lt. Edward  H. Faucon).

At 10:15, the flagship Malvern (also a former blockade runner, the Ella and Annie which had been captured off New Inlet in 1863) gave orders to form line of battle.  The Emma began firing at 11:30 a.m. against the Confederate Half Moon  battery (located 4 miles north of Fort Fisher where Carolina Beach, N.C. is located today).

The Half Moon battery mounted one or two smoothbore cannons and was so named by Union troops because of its crescent shape.

The fleet, at the same time, opened fire on Fort Fisher.

The Emma sent its first and second cutters to assist in landing the Union Army troops.

From noon to 4 p.m., the Emma steamed along in line of battle.  Then anchored and weighed anchor according to orders from the  flagship of the landing group, the A.D. Vance (also a captured former blockade runner under the command of Lt. Cmdr. John H. Upshur).

--Old B-Runner

Thomas C. Dunn, USN: A Brief History

From "Salem Vessels and Their Voyages"    The Barque Dragon.

CAPTAIN THOMAS C. DUNN

Captain Thomas C. Dunn, the new commander of the Dragon, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas C. and Mary A. (Hutchinson) Dunn, and he died in Appleton, Wisconsin, May 9, 1910, in his 82nd year.

(This would prove that the gravestone in Appleton would have been his.)

He was educated in the public schools, and, when 21 years of age, Benjamin A. West, owner of the barque Pilot, made him master of the vessel and sent him on a voyage to the Feegee Islands  (Fiji), and he next commanded Mr. West's barque Dragon.

In the latter he made the quickest passage between Salem and New Zealand on record, sailing 16,770 miles in 85 days.

He had a wonderful experience while in the Feegee trade, while trading with the South Sea Islanders, as narrated in the letter  of George W, Crossette and printed in this sketch of Captain Dunn.

Captain Dunn continued in the merchant service until nearly the breaking of the Civil War.  He then shipped in the United States Navy, served four years,  and part of the time commanded a gunboat.  To of his commands were the USS Emma and the USS Montgomery.

After the war, he was engaged in business in the South and New York, and three years before his death he went to live with his son Elmer E. Dunn, in Appleton.

--Old B-Runner

Thomas C. Dunn Commanded USS Emma and Captured the Blockade Runner Ella

Register of Commissioned, Warrant and Volunteer  Officers  of the Navy of the United States.

HONORABLY DISCHARGED 1865

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Thomas C, Dunn  discharged  October 26, 1865.

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

Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate December 29, 1864.

Abraham Lincoln nominated Thomas C. Dunn as an Acting Master to date from August 11, 1864.

From Annual Reports of the Navy Department.  December 6, 1864.

Acting  Volunteer Lieutenant Thomas C. Dunn was in command of the steamer USS Emma and involved in the destruction of the blockade running steamer  Ella on December 3, 1864.

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

Lieutenant Thomas C. Dunn was in command of the USS Emma in the Reserve Line of ships during the First Battle of Fort Fisher.  The USS Montgomery, under Lt. Edward H. Faucon was also in this line.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 2: Capturing Blockade Runners, the Tacony and Fort Fisher

Remaining in the Gulf of Mexico during 1861, the Montgomery captured or destroyed a half dozen blockade runners, mainly sailing vessels.  

Following her return to the Atlantic in 1863, she took part in the search for the Confederate raider Tacony in June.  Later assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, in June helped destroy the blockade runners Bendigo and Dare.

The next month, she captured the steamer Pet and in October took the Bat..  She also participated in the two attacks on Fort Fisher, North Carolina during December 1864 and January 1865  This finally eliminated the nearby city of Wilmington as a blockade running port.

For the remainder of the war, the Montgomery served along the Carolina coast and participated in the operations on the Cape Fear River which led to the capture of Wilmington in February 1865.

Decommissioned in June 1865 and sold in August, the Montgomery retained her name when she reentered commercial service in 1866.  She was active for nearly eleven more years, until she was sunk due to a collision with the schooner Seminole on January 7,  1877, off Cape May, New Jersey.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery: A Civilian Ship Purchased by the U.S. Navy

From Atlantic Divers  "Max's Wreck -- Montgomery"

WRECK OF USS MONTGOMERY FOUND

This steamer was discovered by Atlantic Divers in 1989 on the dive boat  Down Deep.    The wreck was named after  Captain Bob Meimbresse's dog that was on board that day.  It has recently been identified as the USS Montgomery.

In 2008,  Gene Peterson and Harold Moyers on the dive boat Big Mac recovered a bilge pump which positively identified the site.

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

The USS Montgomery was a 797-iron (burden) wooden screw steamship, built in New York City in 1858.  She was chartered by the U.S. Navy in May 1861 and placed in commission as the USS Montgomery.  The Navy purchased her in August of that year.

During June-November 1861, she served in the Gulf of Mexico enforcing the blockade of western Florida.  Later that year, she was shifted to the  northern Gulf coast.  On 4 December 1861, in Mississippi Sound,  she engaged the Confederate steamers Florida (not the commerce raider) and Pamlico.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 3: Destroying and Capturing Blockade Runners

**  JANUARY 7, 1864

The USS Montgomery, Lieutenant Edward H. Faucon, and USS Aries, Lieutenant Edward F. Devens, chased blockade runner Dare.  The steamer, finding escape impossible, was beached at North Inlet, South Carolina, and was abandoned by her crew.

Boat crews from both the Montgomery and Aries boarded but, failing to refloat the prize, set her afire.

**  FEBRUARY 16, 1864

The USS Montgomery, Acting Lieutenant Faucon, seized blockade running British steamer Pet off Lockwood's Folly Inlet, North Carolina.

**OCTOBER 10, 1864

The USS Montgomery, Lieutenant Faucon, captured blockade running British steamer Bat near Wilmington with cargo of coal and machinery.

Getting Some Prize Money.  --Old B-Runner