.png) George W. Blunt pilot boat (1860). | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | George W. Blunt, nautical publisher |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Builder | Daniel Westervelt of New York City[1] |
| Launched | 6 September 1856 |
| Acquired | by Navy 23 November 1861 |
| Commissioned | 4 December 1861 |
| Decommissioned | 16 August 1865 |
| In service | circa 1856 – 1865 |
| Out of service | 16 August 1865 |
| Homeport | New York |
| Nickname(s) | Blunt |
| Fate | Sold, Port Royal, S.C., 20 October 1865 |
| General characteristics 1st Blunt | |
| Class & type | Schooner |
| Displacement | 122 tons |
| Length | 85 feet |
| Beam | 21 feet |
| Propulsion | sails |
| Sail plan | Schooner-rigged |
| History | |
| United States | |
| Name | George W. Blunt (2nd pilot schooner) |
| Owner | New York Pilots |
| Operator | John Phelan |
| Port of registry | New York |
| Builder | Brown & Lovell,Boston, Massachusetts |
| Cost | $8,000 |
| Completed | 1861 |
| Acquired | 1861 |
| Identification | Official Number 10423 |
| Fate | wrecked in 1875 |
| General characteristics 2ndGeorge W. Blunt | |
| Class & type | Schooner |
| Tonnage | 52 tons |
| Length | 75.4 feet |
| Beam | 20.4 feet |
| Depth | 8.6 feet |
| Propulsion | sails |
| Sail plan | Schooner-rigged |
George W. Blunt, completed in 1856, was a schooner built in New York that operated as a New YorkSandy Hookpilot boat designated Pilot Boat No. 11.[note 1] The schooner was used to pilot vessels to and from thePort of New York and New Jersey. That schooner was sold to theUnited States Navy in 1861, renamed and commissioned as theUSS G. W. Blunt (1856), serving in theSouth Atlantic Blockading Squadron in the South. A second schooner, also namedGeorge W. Blunt, was built in East Boston in 1861 and purchased to replace the first schooner as a pilot boat.[2][3]
The originalGeorge W. Blunt was a two-masted, 85-foot long, 122-ton schooner, 20 tons larger than any other boat in the Sandy Hook fleet.[1][4] The cabin was finished with bird's eye maple, mirrors, and velvet brocade cushions. The stern was ornamented with a scroll and shield which displayed the national flags of America, England and France.[1]According to American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping, theGeorge W. Blunt was built in New York, in 1856 for the New York Pilots. James Callahan was master of the boat.[5]
As the original pilot-boat, theGeorge W. Blunt, was in service with the N.Y. Pilots and rescued boats off the coast of New York.[6] On October 10, 1860, New York Sandy Hook Pilot A. C. Malcom, of the pilot boatG. W. Blunt, No. 11, signed a statement along with other pilots, that they were satisfied with the representation of theNew York Board of Commissioners of Pilots.[7]
On November 23, 1861, during theCivil War, theGeorge W. Blunt was purchased by theUnited States Navy as a gunboat anddispatch boat in support of the Union Navy blockade ofConfederate waterways. The schooner was renamedG. W. Blunt and commissioned 4 December 1861.[2][3][8][9]
On April 19, 1862, the 60-tonConfederate schoonerWave under Captain Ryan, was captured by the pilot-boatGeorge W. Blunt off the coast of South Carolina.[10][11]
A replacement pilot boat, built in July 1861, was purchased from Boston builders Brown & Lovell[12] to take the place of the originalGeorge W. Blunt, which was sold to the government during the Civil War.[2][3][13][14] The 75-foot vessel (tonnage variously given as 120t and 52t, but types of measure unspecified) was purchased by Henderson & Callahan of New York for $8,000 was described as a fast sailer, and registered at New York to the New York Pilots withOfficial Number 10423.[2][15]
In 1874, thisGeorge W. Blunt, rescued thebarkAlfred at sea during a storm that brought the boat safely into New York port.[16][17]
In February 1875, the pilot boatGeorge W. Blunt sprang a leak offGay Head and was run ashore atJones Inlet, twenty-eight miles fromSandy Hook and was reported to have become a total loss. She had on board the following pilots: John Handran, Thomas Murphy, Robert Yates, Edward Kelly, James Heines, and Michael O'Shaughnessy. Her value was estimated at $10,000, which only $1,400 was covered by insurance.[18][14]
USSG. W. Blunt was aSandy Hookpilot boat acquired by theUnion Navy during theAmerican Civil War in 1861.[19][20] She was used by the Union Navy as agunboat as well as a dispatch boat in support of the Union Navy blockade ofConfederate waterways. Towards the war's end, she was reconfigured as a rescue and salvage ship. Her new task was to remove many of the shipwrecks, hulks, and other in-water debris of war. TheG. W. Blunt was decommissioned on 16 August 1865 at Port Royal and was sold there on 20 October 1865.[20]
TheG. W. Blunt was a wooden two-mastedschooner built by Daniel Westervelt in New York and launched 6 September 1856. The schooner was acquired by the Navy Department in New York City on 23 November 1861 by George D. Morgan, who was the purchase agent for the U.S. government. The cost was $10,000.[21] As a result of this purchase, the Sandy Hook pilots had a replacement boat built in July 1861, from Boston builders Brown & Lovell[22][23] She was commissioned on 4 December 1861 and acting Master was Henry Sherwood who was in command.[19][20][24]
Arriving atPort Royal, South Carolina, on 11 December 1861,G. W. Blunt served as a mail and dispatch boat for theSouth Atlantic Blockading Squadron betweenCharleston, South Carolina,Wassaw Sound,Georgia, andFernandina, Florida. En route toGeorgetown, South Carolina, on 19 April 1862 she captured the blockade-running schoonerWave with a cargo ofcotton.[20] For the following year, theG. W. Blunt was on a blockade duty off Charleston and assisted in capturing several more vessels. She departedPort Royal, South Carolina, forPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, on 7 May 1863 and was decommissioned for repairs on 13 May 1863. Recommissioned on 2 June 1863, theG. W. Blunt rejoined the blockading squadron off Charleston, patrolling the many small inlets and bays near the main harbor.[20]
Cruising on Charleston station on 1864, theG. W. Blunt was sent to Port Royal on 7 August 1864 and on 25 August was fitted with diving equipment for salvage duty. She worked on many wrecks, includingConstance on 13 November and theUSS Housatonic, (sunk 17 February 1864 by Confederate submarineH. L. Hunley) from 15 to 19 November. She was sent toSavannah, Georgia, on 1 March 1865 to clear obstructions from the harbor, and returned to Charleston 1 April 1865.[20][25]
G. W. Blunt, formerlyBlunt, was a wooden two-masted schooner acquired by the Navy in New York 23 November 1861.
Brig Jacob Dock...was taken in tow by pilot boat Geo W Blunt, No 11... and towed to the city.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
Media related toGeorge W. Blunt (1856) at Wikimedia Commons
