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

Lt-Cdr. Thomas C. Dunn (Is He the One-Time Commander of the USS Montgomery Buried Here?)

From Find-A-Grave.

I'm not sure if this is the Thomas C. Dunn who commanded the USS Montgomery during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, but he might be.

BIRTH:  1829

DEATH:  1910 (aged 80-81)

Appleton, Wisconsin

BURIAL:  Riverside Cemetery

Appleton, Wisconsin

Block F, Lot 18, Area N, Grave 3

It lists him as Lieut., Commander, US Navy1861-1865

The Parameters Fit.  --Old B-Runner

David D. Wemple, USN-- Part 4: One of His Brothers Died in the War Also

From the US Naval Academy  Memorial Hall.

David Duane Wemple was admitted to the USNA from Wisconsin  from Wisconsin on September  24, 1858, at the age of  15 years, 3 months.

Three of his brothers served during the Civil War.; one was killed in action in March 1863.  (Actually died of a disease in Memphis, more on this in a later post in this blog.

David Wemple is listed as killed in action on the  panel in front of Memorial Hall (USNA) and is buried in Wisconsin.

--Old B-Runner

This Veterans Day: In Honor of David D. Wemple, Lt. USN, Killed at Fort Fisher

I will be devoting seven of my blogs to Veterans Day 2021 today.

From the USNA Memorial Hall.

DAVID D. WEMPLE

BIRTH: June 21, 1843

DEATH:  December 24, 1864

AGE: 21

David Duane Wemple was admitted to the Naval Academy from Wisconsin on September 24, 1858, at the age of 15 years, 3 months.

From Find A Grave.

BIRTH:  21 June 1843  Steuben County, New York

DEATH:  24 December 1864  (aged 21)  Fort Fisher North Carolina

BURIAL:  Emerald Grove Cemetery   Emerald Grove, Wisconsin  (Lot 8, Grave 4)

--Old B-Runner

The U.S. Navy's Newest Ship, the USS Nantucket (LCS-27) Christened Saturday. The First USS Nantucket Was a Monitor.

From the August 11, 2021, Boston Globe "USS Nantucket ready for action, carrying out naval legacy which began in Civil War" by Travis Anderson.

It was formally christened  Saturday at a ceremony  on the Menominee River  in Marinette, Wisconsin.  It is a Freedom class Littoral Combat  Ship (LCS).  The new ship is very fast, automated and lethal, equipped with rolling airframe missiles and a Mark 110 gun, capable of firing 220 rounds per minute.

It is the third U.S. Navy ship named Nantucket.

The first one was a Passaic-class coastal monitor commissioned on February 26, 1863.  It was assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and participated in the attacks on the Confederate forts, including Fort Sumter, defending Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

During that mission, the Nantucket was struck 51 times.  Battered, but no irreparably damaged, the ship was repaired and returned to duty.  It returned to Charleston and took part in operations against Norris Island.

The second USS Nantucket was a wooden lightship built in 1907 for the Lighthouse Service and transferred to the Navy in 1917.  During World War I, it continued its duty warning ships of the dangerous Nantucket Shoals and aided in guarding the nearby waters against U-boat attacks.

I Have to Admit to Have Never Heard of This Monitor Before.  --Old B-R'er