USS Kennebec (1861)
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| History | |
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| Launched: | 5 October 1861 |
| Commissioned: | 8 February 1862 |
| Decommissioned: | 9 August 1865 |
| Fate: | sold 30 November 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Unadilla-class gunboat |
| Displacement: | 691 tons |
| Tons burthen: | 507 |
| Length: | 158 ft (48 m) (waterline) |
| Beam: | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Draft: | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) (max.) |
| Depth of hold: | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 200 IHP 30-in bore by 18 in stroke horizontal back-acting engines; single screw |
| Sail plan: | Two-masted schooner |
| Speed: | 10 kn (11.5 mph) |
| Complement: | 114 |
| Armament: |
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USS Kennebec was a Unadilla-class gunboat built for the U.S. Navy following the outbreak of the American Civil War. She was named for the Kennebec River.
Kennebec was launched 5 October 1861 by G. W. Lawrence, Thomaston, Maine; and commissioned at Boston Navy Yard 8 February 1862, Lieutenant John Henry Russell in command.
The new gunboat was assigned to Admiral David Farragut's newly created West Gulf Blockading Squadron and stood out to sea 12 February 1862. She reached Ship Island, Mississippi, 5 March and 3 days later crossed the bar at Pass a l'Outre and entered the Mississippi River. In the ensuing weeks she did reconnaissance and patrol duty, occasionally engaging Confederate ships chasing them upstream.
On 28 March she and Wissahickon steamed up the river within sight of Fort Jackson and found the cable-linked line of hulks which the South had placed across the river to bar Farragut's invaders. After Southern batteries at the Fort opened a rapid fire on the gunboats, they retired down the river; but, from time to time thereafter, they steamed up to learn more about the Southern defenses while Farragut made ready to attack.
On 18 April a flotilla of schooners under Commander David Dixon Porter opened a steady fire on Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and maintained the barrage until it reached a crescendo on the night of 24 April as Farragut in Hartford led his fleet past the forts. Kennebec, in the gunboat division commanded by Captain Henry H. Bell, became entangled in the line of rafts which obstructed the river and struck one of the Confederate schooners. This delayed her until Admiral Farragut had completed his dash, enabling the Confederate guns fire to concentrate their fire on Kennebec, Itasca and Winona. As dawn had made their ships even more vulnerable targets, their commanders ordered the crews to lie flat on the decks while the gunboats drifted down stream out of action. However, Kennebec's disappointment was softened 4 days later when she was on hand to see the Stars and Bars at Fort Jackson lowered and the Stars and Stripes raised in their place.
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Wikipedia