CSS ''Junaluska'', also known as ''Younalaska'', was a screw steamer

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, su ...

that saw service with the Confederate States Navy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Built in

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, in 1860, she was purchased by the Confederates at

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, in 1861. Serving off of the coasts of

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and

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, she participated in the capture of the gunboat USS ''Fanny'' on October 1, 1861, and later in a raid on a

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campsite. She continued to serve along the North Carolina coast until August 1862, when she was sold and broken up.

Service history

''Junaluska'' was built in

in 1860. The '' Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' states that ''Younalaska'' was an alternate name of the vessel, while naval historian Paul Silverstone states that it was her original name. Her namesake was

Junaluska Junaluska (Cherokee: ''Tsunu’lahun’ski'') (c.1775 – October 20, 1868), was a leader of Cherokee who resided in towns in western North Carolina in the early 19th century. He fought alongside Andrew Jackson, and saved his life, at the Battle ...

, a

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who allegedly saved the life of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. A screw steamer, she was built as a canal

and had a

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying 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 ref ...

of 79 tons. She had an iron

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

. The Confederate States Navy purchased her in 1861 for service in the

while ''Junaluska'' was at

. She then served along the coasts of

and

. Her crew was composed of infantrymen who had little training for naval warfare. On August 30, 1861, ''Junaluska'' ferried part of the 3rd Georgia Infantry Regiment to

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, and on September 1 made a trip to Fort Hatteras and Fort Oregon on the Outer Banks. She was unarmed until September 30, when she was armed with a single 6-pounder cannon, a piece so light that historian William R. Trotter referred to it metaphorically as a popgun. As part of the North Carolina Squadron commanded by Flag Officer William F. Lynch, along with the gunboats CSS ''Raleigh'' and CSS ''Curlew'', ''Junaluska'' participated in a naval expedition against the gunboat USS ''Fanny'' the next day. At this time, ''Junaluska'' was commanded by

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William H. Vernon. ''Fanny'' arrived off of Chicamacomico, North Carolina, early in the afternoon. While some of the Union ship's crew were off the vessel on a launch, the three Confederate vessels approached ''Fanny'' at about 4:00 pm. ''Junaluska'' was the trailing vessel and was unable to get within range of the Union Navy ship. ''Fanny''s path of retreat was cut off, and she surrendered after a fight of about 35 minutes. ''Junaluska'' ferried the 3rd Georgia from Roanoke Island for a raid on the Union Chicamacomico camp during the night and morning of October 3/4, and bore the body of a Confederate soldier who had died of exhaustion during the raid back to the mainland. During this raid, ''Junaluska'' was commanded by a Captain Slacum. While the ship was transferred away from the North Carolina Squadron, ''Junaluska'' continued to serve off the North Carolina coast, although an official Confederate naval report dated May 2, 1862, placed her in the

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, area. Both Silverstone and the ''Naval History and Heritage Command'' state that she was eventually armed with two cannons. In August 1862, she was sold and broken up.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Junaluska Ships of the Confederate States Navy Ships built in Philadelphia 1860 ships Steam tugs