USS ''R. B. Forbes'' was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Originally built in either 1845 or 1846, the vessel saw service as a

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

and briefly a

lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Built by Otis Tufts and named after

Robert Bennet Forbes Robert Bennet Forbes (September 18, 1804 – November 23, 1889), was an American sea captain, China merchant and ship owner. He was active in ship construction, maritime safety, the opium trade, and charitable activities, including food aid to I ...

, she was the first iron mercantile vessel built in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. Purchased by the Union Navy in 1861 for $52,500 (), she was converted to a warship and saw action during the

Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Geo ...

on November 7. On February 25, 1862, en route to join the Mortar Flotilla, she was wrecked on the

Currituck Banks Bodie Island ( ) is a long, narrow barrier peninsula that forms the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks. The land that is most commonly referred to as Bodie Island was at one time a true island, but in 1811 Roanoke Inlet, which had separate ...

in a storm and was burned to prevent capture.

Construction and characteristics

''R. B. Forbes'' was constructed in 1845 or 1846 at

. A

screw steamer A screw steamer or screw steamship (abbreviated "SS") is an old term for a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine, using one or more propellers (also known as ''screws'') to propel it through the water. Such a ship was also known as an " ...

used as a

, as well as a wrecking tug, she was long with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

of had a

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

of , could go a speed of , and displaced 320 or 329 tons. The vessel's

depth of hold Depth(s) may refer to: Science and mathematics * Depth (ring theory), an important invariant of rings and modules in commutative and homological algebra * Depth in a well, the measurement between two points in an oil well * Color depth (or "nu ...

was . Power came from the set of two screw propellers, which were driven by two condensing engines measuring by . The engines were fed by two boilers. Her

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

was made of iron. She was built by shipbuilder and inventor Otis Tufts and named after

, a captain and ship owner who helped originate the concept of the ship. ''R. B. Forbes'' was the first iron mercantile vessel built in

Service career

''R. B. Forbes'' was in service by early January 1846. She was used as a towboat in

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

, bringing

clipper ship A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century Merchant ship, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were gen ...

s into the open ocean. In 1847, when USS ''Jamestown'' began her journey to Ireland to provide relief related to the Great Famine, the organizers of the relief mission watched from aboard ''R. B. Forbes''. In September 1850, she suffered about $100 () of damage in a fire. ''R. B. Forbes'' also briefly saw service as a

: from April 18 to May 22, 1851, she was stationed at

Minots Ledge Minots Ledge, sometimes appearing as Minot's Ledge and also known as the Cohasset Rocks, is a reef off the harbor of Cohasset, Massachusetts, southeast of Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state) ...

while the regularly assigned lightship was en route. She towed the clipper ''Great Republic'' from Boston to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1853. Seven years later, the vessel towed the

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Spring Hill'' (later known as ''United States'') to

Nantasket Roads Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

in preparation for

Isaac Israel Hayes Isaac Israel Hayes (March 5, 1832 – December 17, 1881) was an American Arctic explorer, physician, and politician, who was appointed as the commanding officer at Satterlee General Hospital during the American Civil War, and was then elected, ...

's Arctic expedition. In 1860, the ''

Wilmington Daily Herald Wilmington may refer to: Places Australia *Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality ** District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area **Wilmington railway line, a former railway line United Kingdom * Wilmington, Devon * ...

'' described her as "as sound now as when first built" and compared her favorably to the similar, but wooden, vessel ''Enoch Train''. ''R. B. Forbes'' was not financially successful, and went through several owners. In 1861, the Union Navy purchased the ship for use in the

, at a cost of $52,500 (). The acquisition began on August 17, but was not formalized until September 20. The vessel was commissioned in August. After being outfitted in Boston, ''R. B. Forbes'' left on August 25 under the command of

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

William G. Gregory for the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...

, where she spent most of September. The Navy armed her with two 32-pounder cannons and a

rifled Rifling is the term for helical grooves machined into the internal surface of a firearms's barrel for imparting a spin to a projectile to improve its aerodynamic stability and accuracy. It is also the term (as a verb) for creating such groove ...

30-pounder gun. She was manned by a crew of 51. ''R. B. Forbes'' was first assigned to service in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

area, but then was ordered to join the

South Atlantic Blockading Squadron The Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to enforce the Union blockade of the ports of the Confederate States. It was formed in 1861 and split up the same year for th ...

. Having left to join the blockading squadron in late October, she arrived in time to fight in the

on November 7; the battle ended with Union forces capturing

Fort Walker Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill, commonly known as Fort A.P. Hill (formerly Fort Walker)MDW USARM(25 August 2023) Fort Walker Redesignation Ceremony59:22, Ceremony sponsored by MG Trevor Bredencamp, commander of Military District of Washington; additio ...

and

Fort Beauregard Fort Beauregard, located half a mile north of the village of Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, was one of four Confederate forts guarding the Ouachita River during the American Civil War. In 1863, four Union gunboats attacked it, unsuc ...

from the Confederates. Under the command of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Henry S. Newcomb, the vessel fired 43 artillery rounds at a Confederate

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

on land. Newcomb reported that some of the shells fired had issues with jamming in the cannons' barrels. After remaining in the Port Royal area until December, she was towed to New York by the steamboat ''Atlantic'', as she had suffered damage to her

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

shaft and propeller. After arriving on December 20, she was decommissioned for repairs. After being recommissioned on February 8, 1862, ''R. B. Forbes'' was ordered to journey to join the Mortar Flotilla, a collection of ships armed with

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a village i ...

designed to bombard fortifications into submission, near

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. During the way, she was caught in a storm on February 25, off of

Nags Head, North Carolina Nags Head is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It is a busy vacation spot because of its beaches and sand dunes of Jockey's Ridge. The population was 3,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Early maps of ...

, and driven onto the

. Her propellers were broken during the wreck, and as it was deemed impossible to get her dislodged, she was burned to prevent capture. The ship's crew and salvageable equipment were taken off by .

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:R. B. Forbes Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in February 1862 Ship fires 1840s ships

Construction and characteristics

Service career

See also

References

Sources