USS ''Varuna'' was 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 " ...
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 ...
. Early in the war, the Union Navy was tasked with
blockading the
Confederate
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
coastline. In order to complete the goal, the purchase of a number of additional ships was necessary. One of the vessels purchased was ''Varuna'', which was still under construction when the sale occurred on 31 December 1861.
Commissioned in February 1862, she traveled to join the
West Gulf Blockading Squadron
The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading.
The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...
. The squadron was under the command of
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
David Glasgow Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Far ...
and was tasked with the capture of
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 ...
.
In order to reach New Orleans, the Confederate positions at
Fort Jackson and
Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip is a historic masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about upriver from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, just opposite Fort Jackson on the other side of the river. It formerly served a ...
had to be passed. On the morning of 24 April, Farragut led his ships in
an attempt to pass the forts. During the ensuing action, ''Varuna'' ran ahead of the other Union ships, and she was engaged in a chase with the
Louisiana gunboat ''Governor Moore''. The two ships exchanged cannon fire before ''Governor Moore'' rammed ''Varuna'' twice. Another Confederate vessel added a third ramming blow. ''Varuna'' sank within 15 minutes, but Farragut was able to capture the city of
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 ...
.
Construction and characteristics
When 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 ...
broke out in April 1861, the
Union adopted the
Anaconda Plan
The Anaconda Plan was a strategy outlined by the Union Army for suppressing the Confederacy at the beginning of the American Civil War. Proposed by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, the plan emphasized a Union blockade of the Southern port ...
. This involved
blockading the
Confederate
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
coastline and taking control of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
. At the beginning of the war, the
Union Navy had only 42 ships still considered active, with others mothballed and in poor condition. Many of the existing active ships were too large to enter ports that would need to be blockaded. The Union found itself needing a number of new ships in order to fulfill the new operation's goals.
''Varuna'', which was named after
a Vedic deity associated with the skies and seas, was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one ...
at the Mallory Yard of
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States.
Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784. Mystic Seaport, located in ...
, in late January or early February 1861.
Launched in September 1861, she was intended to be used as a
merchant ship
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
on the trade route between
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 ...
and
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 ...
. The Union Navy purchased ''Varuna'' on 31 December, at New York City,
before her construction had been completed.
According to naval historian Paul H. Silverstone, she had a
tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on '' tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a cal ...
of 1,247
tons burthen
Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship b ...
, while the ''
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' (''DANFS'') is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy.
When the writing project was developed the parameters for this series were designed to ...
'' (DANFS) places her tonnage at 1,300 tons.
''Varuna'' was long, and had 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 . Her
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 .
She was a
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
and used a single
screw propeller
A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...
for propulsion. Her crew numbered 157. She was armed with eight
Dahlgren gun
Dahlgren guns were muzzle-loading naval guns designed by a United States Navy Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870), mostly used in the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental ...
s and two
Parrott rifle
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.
Parrott rifle
The gun was invented by Captain Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He was an American soldier and inven ...
s. The naval historian W. Craig Gaines describes ''Varuna'' as either a
sloop or a
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
, while the DANFS describes her as a
screw gunboat.
Service history
''Varuna'' was
commissioned in February 1862. On 10 February, she was briefly ordered to wait in New York City while the
ironclad
An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...
USS ''Monitor'' was completed, so that she could escort ''Monitor'' to
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...
. By the end of the day, the order had been revoked, and ''Varuna'' became part of the
West Gulf Blockading Squadron
The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading.
The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...
. On her way to join the squadron, ''Varuna'' called at the port of
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Corps R ...
. As the Union commander at Port Royal,
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command.
Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways:
* ...
Samuel Du Pont, was absent
on an expedition south along the Confederate coastline, ''Varuna''s captain,
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
Charles S. Boggs
Rear admiral (United States), Rear Admiral Charles Stewart Boggs (28 January 1811 – 22 April 1888) served in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
Early life and career
Boggs was born in New Brunswi ...
, temporarily took command of the area. ''Varuna'' would not reach the West Gulf Blockading Squadron until 6 March.
In January, the commander of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Flag Officer
David Glasgow Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Far ...
, had been tasked with capturing New Orleans for the Union. Farragut would have both a fleet of warships and the
Mortar Flotilla. In late February, he arrived at
Ship Island
Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, ...
, a strategic island off the coast of
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
, and after preparations, the advance up the Mississippi towards New Orleans began on 15 April. The
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 ...
of the Mortar Flotilla began bombarding two Confederate forts downriver from New Orleans
Fort Jackson and
Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip is a historic masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about upriver from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, just opposite Fort Jackson on the other side of the river. It formerly served a ...
on 18 April, with the shelling continuing for another five days. Union vessels were able to breach a barricade erected in the river on 20 April, and at 02:00 on 24 April, Farragut's ships began moving against the two forts, bringing on the
Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip
The battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip (April 18–28, 1862) was the decisive battle for possession of New Orleans in the American Civil War. The two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River south of the city were attacked by a Union Nav ...
.
''Varuna'' sunk in action
Farragut assigned 17 warships for the attack on the forts, dividing them into three groups. ''Varuna'' was one of eight ships in the first group, which was tasked with moving up the eastern side of the river to engage Fort St. Philip. Confederate fire opened at around 03:40. The lead Union ship was the
''Unadilla''-class gunboat USS ''Cayuga'', which moved towards Fort St. Philip and engaged the
ironclad
An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...
s
CSS ''Louisiana'' and
CSS ''Manassas''. ''Varuna'' fired into the duel, damaging both the Union and Confederate vessels, and the
screw sloop
A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. They were popularized in the mid-19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine and the transition of fleets to this new technology.
The sailing sloop
The British sloop in the Age o ...
USS ''Oneida'' came to the aid of ''Cayuga'' as well. While ''Oneida'' held position and fired at the forts, ''Varuna'' then broke formation and continued upriver at full steam, despite having engine trouble that resulted in low
boiler pressure. The crew of ''Varuna'' burned barrels of pork in an attempt to raise additional steam. Encountering three Confederate gunboats, ''Varuna'' fired at them and continued upriver. In the chaos, projectiles from ''Varuna'' caused
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy or hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while ...
casualties on ''Cayuga''. ''Varuna'' was now the leading Union ship, and she was spotted by the
State of Louisiana gunboat ''Governor Moore''. The Union ship could be identified by the color of light she showed on her
masthead, as Confederate vessels carried a different color of light.
The two ships then began a chase upriver. The commander of ''Governor Moore'' ordered lights similar to those ''Varuna'' displayed on his ship as a ruse. When the Confederate vessel caught up with ''Varuna'' shortly before daylight, the decoy lights were taken down and ''Governor Moore'' opened fire. ''Governor Moore'' fired with the
chase gun
A chase gun (or chaser), usually distinguished as bow chaser and stern chaser, was a cannon mounted in the bow (aiming forward) or stern (aiming backward) of a sailing ship. They were used to attempt to slow down an enemy ship either chasing (p ...
on her
bow BOW as an acronym may refer to:
* Bag of waters, amniotic sac
* Bartow Municipal Airport (IATA:BOW), a public use airport near Bartow, Florida, United States
* Basic operating weight of an aircraft
* BOW counties, made of Brown, Outagamie, and Winn ...
, while ''Varuna'' fired with her
stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
chase gun. The gunboat
CSS ''Jackson'' briefly fired into the melee, but she then continued upriver to New Orleans. ''Varuna'' tried to turn to face her
broadside towards ''Governor Moore'', but the move was countered; the two ships fired into each other at a range of . ''Governor Moore'' approached yet closer, but found that her forward gun could not be depressed enough to rake ''Varuna''s deck, so her captain ordered the gun fired through her own deck, with the hole serving as a
gun port
A gunport is an opening in the side of the hull (watercraft), hull of a ship, above the waterline, which allows the muzzle of artillery pieces mounted on the gun deck to fire outside. The origin of this technology is not precisely known, but can ...
.
A second shot through the hole killed three men aboard ''Varuna'' and wounded others.
At this point, the two ships were about apart, but their crews could barely see each other due to dense smoke. It was now about 06:00, and the ships were at a point about upriver from the forts.''Varuna'' turned to
starboard
Port and starboard are Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z), nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the Bow (watercraft), bow (front).
Vessels with bil ...
to allow for a broadside to be fired from that side of the ship. The broadside caused great destruction on ''Governor Moore''s deck, but ''Governor Moore'' rammed ''Varuna'', knocking out the Union ship's engines. ''Governor Moore'' then backed off and rammed ''Varuna'' again. ''Varuna'' was now sinking rapidly, and steered towards the riverbank. Another gunboat then arrived and rammed ''Varuna''. ''Varuna'' sank within 15 minutes, with her guns still firing as she went down. For their actions in the engagement, eight sailors aboard the vessel were later awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
. ''Varuna''s survivors were rescued by ''Oneida''.

Boggs wrote in his official report dated 29 April that four members of the ship's crew were killed and nine wounded, and that four of the
Marines
Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...
aboard were also wounded; while the report of Acting Assistant
Paymaster
A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...
Charles Fitch dated 6 May reports that three men from ''Varuna'' were confirmed to have been killed. Gaines lists the vessel's casualties as three killed and twelve wounded. One of ''Varuna''s officers,
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 ...
Charles Swasey, attributed the vessel's sinking to its design as a merchant vessel, which Swasey considered to be inadequate for a warship. ''Governor Moore'' in turn was
scuttled
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull.
Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...
not long after her victory over ''Varuna''; over three-quarters of her crew had been killed or wounded.
As Union vessels moved upriver, they passed the wreck of ''Varuna'', whose flags were still visible above the water. The ships
dipped their colors as they passed by the wreck site. By mid-morning, Farragut had 13 of his ships upriver past the forts. Most of the Confederate ships present had been sunk, and the two forts surrendered on 28 April, after their garrisons mutinied. After neutralizing Confederate defenses at
Chalmette on 25 April, the Union vessels entered New Orleans. The fall of the city was a major defeat for the Confederates. The DANFS states that ''Varuna'' "contributed greatly" to the Union victory, and
George Henry Boker
George Henry Boker (October 6, 1823 – January 2, 1890) was an American poet, playwright, and diplomat.
Early years and education
Boker was born in Philadelphia. His father was Charles S. Boker, a wealthy banker, whose financial expertise w ...
wrote a poem commemorating the vessel.
Her wreck was partially visible in 1885, and a 1981 expedition led by
Clive Cussler
Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have been listed on ''The New York Times'' fiction best-sell ...
located a signal with a
gradiometer
A gradiometer measures the gradient (numerical rate of change) of a physical quantity, such as a magnetic field or gravity.
Types of gradiometer
There are at least two types of gradiometer to measure magnetic fields:
# ''Axial gradiometer''. ...
near where she is believed to have sunk.
Notes
References
Sources
Secondary
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Primary
*
*
*
*
External links
Poetry Lyrical, Narrative, and Satirical of the Civil War Boker's poem about ''Varuna'' is on pages 114 and 115
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varuna
Ships of the Union Navy
Ships built in Mystic, Connecticut
Gunboats of the United States Navy
Steamships of the United States Navy
American Civil War shipwrecks in the Mississippi River
Shipwrecks of the American Civil War
Louisiana in the American Civil War
1861 ships
Maritime incidents in April 1862