USS Amanda (1856)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
|
|
| Name: | USS Amanda |
| Laid down: | date unknown |
| Launched: | 1858 |
| Acquired: | 6 August 1861 |
| Commissioned: | 1861 |
| Out of service: | 27 May 1863 |
| Struck: | 1863 (est.) |
| Fate: | sank, 27 May 1863 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Bark |
| Tonnage: | 368 |
| Length: | 117 ft 6 in (35.81 m) |
| Beam: | 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m) |
| Draft: | 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Speed: | varied |
| Complement: | 71 |
| Armament: | 6 × 32-pounder smoothbore guns |
USS Amanda (1856) was a bark acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
She was used by the Union Navy primarily as a gunboat stationed off Confederate ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries. Her gallant service with the Union Navy was cut short in 1863 when she ran aground and was destroyed.
Amanda — a wooden-hulled bark built in 1858 at New York City — was purchased there by the Navy on 6 August 1861.
Since no logs recording this vessel's operations prior to 7 November 1862 have survived, the date of her commissioning is unknown, but — since she arrived in Hampton Roads on 29 October 1861 and her commanding officer, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Nathaniel Goodwin, reported for duty in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron — we know that her active career began somewhat earlier.
The bark joined the forces blockading Wilmington, North Carolina on 8 November; and, but for occasional runs back to Hampton Roads for provisions and water, she operated off that vital Confederate port through most of the winter. Then, somewhat the worse for wear after battling the constantly rough seas off the North Carolina coast, she headed for the Virginia Capes late in February 1862 and reached Hampton Roads on the evening of the 26th to receive repairs and to obtain fresh provisions.
There, during a severe storm on the 3rd of March, she dragged anchor and fouled sister blockader Braziliera, causing considerable harm to both ships. The need to patch the damage caused by this accident delayed Amanda's, return to Wilmington and thus allowed the bark to play a minor, but important, role in the most memorable naval action of the Civil War. A glance back to the early days of the conflict should shed light on her past in this drama.
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Wikipedia