| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSIsaac N. Seymour |
| Builder | Benjamin C. Terry (Keyport, NJ) |
| Launched | 1860 |
| Christened | I. N. Seymour |
| Acquired | 26 October 1861 |
| Commissioned | (USN): Nov 1861—16 May 1865 |
| In service | 1861—on or after 1888 |
| Renamed |
|
| Stricken | 1882 (est.) |
| Fate | Sold foreign, 1888 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Gunboat |
| Displacement | 133long tons |
| Length | 100 ft (30 m) |
| Beam | 19 ft 8 in (5.99 m) |
| Draught | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Installed power | 1 × 30-inbore, 6-ftstroke vertical beamsteam engine |
| Propulsion | Sidewheels |
| Speed | Average 5 knots; maximum 11 knots |
| Armament |
|
USSIsaac N. Seymour, also referred to variously asSeymour,I. N. Seymour andJ. N. Seymour, was asteamer acquired by theUnion Navy for use as agunboat during theAmerican Civil War. She was used by the Navy as alittoral ship in fire support, supply and blockading roles.
Isaac N. Seymour was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer built by Benjamin C. Terry[1] atKeyport, New Jersey, in 1860 as the tugboatI. N. Seymour. The ship had adisplacement of 133long tons, a length of 100 feet, beam of 19 feet 8 inches and hold depth of 7 feet 6 inches; her draft fully loaded was 6 feet 6 inches, with a light draft of 5 feet 6 inches.I. N. Seymour was powered by a vertical beamsteam engine with a 30-inchbore and 6-footstroke, built byFletcher, Harrison & Co. ofNew York. The vessel had an average speed of 5 knots and a maximum speed of 11 knots.[2]
On 26 October 1861,I. N. Seymour was purchased from Mr. Schultz by George D. Morgan on behalf of the United States Navy for the sum of $18,000. RenamedUSSIsaac N. Seymour, the ship was fitted out with one 30- and one 20-pdrParrott rifle for use as agunboat.[2][3]
Isaac N. Seymour was assigned to theNorth Atlantic Blockading Squadron 20 November and 3 days later was stationed inHampton Roads, Virginia. While there she joined three other ships in engaging Confederate steamerCSS Patrick Henry and drove her back up stream.[3]
A month later Flag OfficerLouis M. Goldsborough orderedIsaac N. Seymour toHatteras Inlet for impending operations in the sounds ofNorth Carolina. She participated in the combined operations which tookRoanoke Island 8 February, and at the end of the action she was commended for being "conspicuously in the foreground throughout the bombardment." One of her powdermen was killed and her chief engineer was seriously wounded in the fight.[3]
The next dayIsaac N. Seymour steamed upPasquotank River toElizabeth City, North Carolina, with Comdr. Rowan's expedition to destroy enemy gunboats and to break up communications betweenAlbemarle Sound andNorfolk, Virginia. She continued mop-up operations in the sounds until she struck an abandoned anchor in Hatteras Inlet 20 February and sank before she could be run aground.[3]
She was raised, repaired, and returned to service in May. She resumed her former duty and continued to give a good account of herself in the sounds until 24 August when she struck a bank and sank in theNeuse River some 3 miles aboveNew Bern, North Carolina, while steaming upstream to cover a landing of troops. A month later she was reported raised and on the ways being readied for service.[3]
Back in fighting trim 23 October, she was ordered to towschoonerMinnehaha toPlymouth, North Carolina, to deliver provisions. Five days later she made the return passage towing damaged steamerUSS Whitehead to New Bern, North Carolina, for repairs. Similar duty maintaining communications and lines of supply between Navy units in the sounds continued until 12 December whenIsaac N. Seymour ascended the Neuse River with four other ships to support an Army expedition to destroy railroad bridges and track nearGoldsboro, North Carolina, but the mission was aborted by low water which prevented their advancing more than 15 miles beyond New Bern.[3]
Confederate troops attacked the Union garrison atWashington, North Carolina, 31 March 1863 establishing a siege which threatened to starve the Northern troops into surrender.Isaac N. Seymour departedPlymouth, North Carolina, 2 April to play an active role in the naval operations which, despite well-served batteries ashore, brought the beleaguered soldiers food and ammunition. The Southern troops were finally forced to lift theblockade 16 April. Once again the daring and versatility of the Navy had been decisive in holding a hard-pressed position for the North.[3]
Isaac N. Seymour was a part of the task force which started up theJames River 11 July to demonstrate againstRichmond, Virginia. The high point of the expedition came 14 July when Rear AdmiralSamuel Phillips Lee, flying his flag inIsaac N. Seymour, occupiedFort Powhatan, the last Confederate defense on the river below Chaffin's and Drewry's Bluff.[3]
Isaac N. Seymour continued to serve in theNorth Atlantic Blockading Squadron—maintaining Union control of North Carolina's inland waters and supporting Army operations from the James andYork Rivers as GeneralU.S. Grant supplied and supported by water, relentlessly pressed toward Richmond and victory.[3]
Isaac N. Seymour was detached in March 1865 and decommissioned atWashington, D.C. 16 May. She was transferred to theLighthouse Board 20 June which she served asTulip until sold and redocumentedMagnolia 7 June 1882.Magnolia was sold to a foreign owner in 1888.[3]
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This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
