USS ''Commodore Hull'' was a
ferryboat acquired by the
Union Navy during the
American Civil War. She was outfitted as a
gunboat and assigned to the
Union blockade of the
Confederate States of America.
Service history
''Commodore Hull'' – a
side-wheel ferryboat – was built at
New York City in 1860 (or 1861
) as the civilian ferryboat ''Nuestra Señora del Regla'', intended for use at
Havana, Cuba
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. . Purchased by the Union Navy on 1 September 1862, she was converted to a
gunboat and commissioned on 27 November 1862,
Acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
Master W. G. Saltonstall in command. ''Commodore Hull'' was named in honor of
Commodore Isaac Hull
Isaac Hull (March 9, 1773 – February 13, 1843) was a Commodore in the United States Navy. He commanded several famous U.S. naval warships including ("Old Ironsides") and saw service in the undeclared naval Quasi War with the revolutionary Fre ...
(1773–1843), a significant U.S. Naval commander during and after the
War of 1812. There were four subsequent s, all destroyers. ''Commodore Hull''s ferryboat design made her especially useful for operations in sheltered waters, so she was assigned to the
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and operated along the coasts and rivers of
Virginia and
North Carolina. She took part in the siege of
Washington, N.C. from 30 March – 16 April 1863. In
Albemarle Sound, she took part in the 5 May 1864
Battle of Albemarle Sound
The Battle of Albemarle Sound was an inconclusive naval battle fought in May 1864 along the coast of North Carolina during the American Civil War. Three Confederate warships, including an ironclad, engaged eight Union gunboats. The action end ...
with the Confederate ironclad
CSS ''Albemarle''. As a picket, ''Commodore Hull'' was the first to sight the formidable ram approaching and fired at her from close quarters in the three-hour engagement.
''Commodore Hull'' joined in the attacks on and the capture of
Plymouth, N.C. on 29 October. On 31 October, she was heavily damaged by Confederate batteries, losing four killed and three wounded.
Coxswain Patrick Colbert was awarded the
Medal of Honor for action on that date. ''Commodore Hull'' was repaired and remained active until the end of the Civil War. She was decommissioned on 8 June 1865 at the
New York Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...
. ''Commodore Hull'' was sold at the Yard on 27 September. She was subsequently renamed to ''Waccamaw'' in civilian employment, which lasted until sometime prior to 1885. Abandoned on the
Cape Fear River across from downtown
Wilmington, North Carolina, the steamboat was burned to the waterline in 1886. Some of her remains (consisting of the engine bed, boiler foundation, portions of the lower hull and paddle wheel spokes) are still visible at low tide.
References
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* Retrieved 2010-01-22.
External links
US Navy Historical Image Collection for USS Commodore Hull
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commodore Hull
Ships of the Union Navy
Ships built in New York City
Steamships of the United States Navy
Gunboats of the United States Navy
American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States
1860 ships