''James Funk'' was a 19th-century

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

built in 1862 at

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn� ...

for a company of New York Pilots. She was built for speed. She was assigned the "Number 22," which was displayed on her mainsail. The ''James Funk'' was captured and burned by the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

raiding steamer 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 ...

. The ''

Charlotte Webb ''Charlotte Webb'' was a 19th-century New York City pilot boat built in 1865 at the Webb & Bell shipyard to take the place of the '' James Funk,'' that was destroyed by the rebel ''Tallahassee'' during the Civil War. She survived the Great Bliz ...

'' was built in 1865 to take the place of the ''James Funk'' that was destroyed.

Construction and service

The ''James Funk No. 22,'' was launched in 1862 from

. She was registered with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping'' from 1883–1984 as ''James Funk.'' Her master was Captain A. C. Malcolm; her owners were a company of New York Pilots, belonging to the port of New York. She was 81 feet in length, her draft was 9 feet, she weighed 122-tons, and built for speed. On October 16, 1863, when the weather was dark and thick, the pilot-boat ''James Funk'' collided with the United States supply steamer ''Union,'' near Sandy Hook. The pilot-boat was in tow and no ship light was on. She started to sink and her crew escaped in

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

s. It was estimated that she was worth between $12,000 and $15,000. She was raised and then return to port.

Civil War

End of service

On August 11, 1864, during the American Civil War, the pilot-boat ''James Funk, No. 22,'' was 60 miles southeast of

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

, when the Confederate raiding cruiser the ''Tallahassee'' approached disguised with an American ensign flying at the masthead. Pilot William Smith, of the pilot-boat took a yawl to board the ''Tallahassee'' thinking she was in need of a pilot. Instead, she was captured by the Confederate colonel, John Taylor Wood, who took control of the ''James Funk''. His objective was to secure a pilot who could take the ''Tallahassee'' into

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. Twenty of the ''Tallahassee's'' crew came onboard the pilot-boat and the crew of the ''James Funk'' were transferred to the ''Tallahassee''. The ''James Funk'' was turned into a tender and a decoy for the ''Tallahassee''. Captain Wood used the pilot-boat to capture and burn other schooners and brigs, including the ''A. M. Lee''. He then burned the ''James Funk,'' which he later regretted. The same day, the ''Tallahassee'' captured and burned the pilot-boat ''William Bell'', No. 24, ''Adriatic'' and several other boats. The Confederates then sailed the ''Tallahassee'' to

Fire Island Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York. Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Long ...

, where the crew and passengers went ashore. Robert Yates, captain of the pilot-boat provided his account of the capture of the ''James Funk,'' after he arrived safely back to his home in New York City. Charlotte Web pilot boat

In the book, "From Sandy Hook to 62",

Charles Edward Russell Charles Edward Russell (September 25, 1860 in Davenport, Iowa – April 23, 1941 in Washington, D.C.) was an American journalist, opinion columnist, newspaper editor, and political activist. The author of a number of books of biography and socia ...

, describes the chase of the ''Tallahassee'' cruiser against the ''James Funk'' and ''William Bell''. The pilot boat ''

'' was built by Eckford Webb in May 1865 at the Webb & Bell shipyard in

, to take the place of the ''James Funk,'' No. 22, that was captured and burned by the

raiding steamer ''Tallahassee''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James Funk Individual sailing vessels Schooners of the United States Service vessels of the United States 1862 ships Pilot boats Ships built in Brooklyn

Construction and service

Civil War

End of service

See also

References