''Seizer'' was a wooden-hulled, stern-wheel steamship that served as the first

snagboat A snagboat is a river boat, resembling a barge with superstructure for crew accommodations, and deck-mounted cranes and hoists for removing snags and other obstructions from rivers and other shallow waterways. USA During the American Civil ...

for the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

on the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento� ...

History

''Seizer'' was a stern-wheeled, shallow draft steamship ordered by the U.S. Engineers Department of the Army (now known as the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

) to serve as the first

on the

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, the Mokelumne, and the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River (; es, Río San Joaquín) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suis ...

s. She was built in Stockton, California in 1881 and outfitted with a wood-fueled steam boiler which enabled her to cruise at a speed of 6-7 knots. The ship was painted white with a red line and a mahogany smoke stake. She was captained by Captain "Rush" Fisher of Missouri and carried a crew of 33 men. The crew included divers from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

who were able swimmers and capable of entering the muddy waters to attach chains to sunken trees. In 1895, she overhauled and fitted to burn coal. By 1919, she was using oil as a fuel. In 1908 she was joined by a snag

scow A scow is a smaller type of barge. Some scows are rigged as sailing scows. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scows carried cargo in coastal waters and inland waterways, having an advantage for navigating shallow water or small harbours. S ...

, ''Tackle'' (30 GRT, 64 x 28 x 3.5), which was designed to operate in much shallower waters. She retired in 1921 after the completion of her replacement, ''Bear'' (242 GRT), and was converted into a quarter boat. Her steam engine was utilized in the snagboat ''Yuba'' (410 GRT) built in 1925.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seizer snagboat 1881 ships Ships built in Stockton, California Stern-wheel steamboats of California Snagboats of the United States