USS ''Henry Andrew'' was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the

Confederacy 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 ...

to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Service history

''Henry Andrew'' was originally built in 1847 at New York City as a sailing brig, and converted to steam in 1859. She was purchased from her owner, Mr. Van Santvoord, at New York on 10 September 1861. Her first

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

was

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

Master Samuel Webb Mather. Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, ''Henry Andrew'' arrived on her blockading station in November 1861. She reconnoitered the

Vernon River Vernon may refer to: Places Australia *Vernon County, New South Wales Canada *Vernon, British Columbia, a city *Vernon, Ontario France *Vernon, Ardèche * Vernon, Eure United States * Vernon, Alabama * Vernon, Arizona * Vernon, California * ...

on 11 December, and on 20 December was sent to blockade the entrance to

Wassaw Sound Wassaw Sound is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Georgia, United States near Savannah at the mouth of the Wilmington River. American Civil War naval battle It was the location of an American Civil War naval battle between the CSS Atlan ...

. Being of light draft, ''Henry Andrew'' was especially valuable in stopping

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

s and gaining intelligence in the shallow rivers and sounds of the coast. She participated on 17 January-18 February 1862 in an expedition up

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

's and Mud Rivers for the purpose of finding a channel into the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

, encountering no Confederate opposition except a small battery near Red Bluff. ''Henry Andrew'' was reassigned to

Fernandina, Florida Fernandina Beach is a city in northeastern Florida and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the principal municipalities comp ...

on 18 March, and took up duties off Fernandina and Mosquito Inlet. Boats from the steamer and entered Mosquito Inlet on a reconnaissance on 21 March and next day were fired upon by batteries and musketry, killing the captains of both ''Henry Andrew'' and ''Penguin''. Subsequently, the ship was active in the blockade off Mosquito Inlet,

Stono River The Stono River or Creek is a tidal channel in southeast South Carolina, located southwest of Charleston. The channel runs southwest to northeast between the mainland and Wadmalaw Island and Johns Island, from north Edisto River between Johns ...

, and other points on the coast until sent to Winyah Bay, South Carolina, where she arrived on 21 June. An expedition up the

Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...

was organized in late June, and ''Henry Andrew'' was designated to accompany it. The ships entered the river on 24 June, reconnoitered the area, and were fired on by shore batteries on the shore. Returning on 3 July, ''Henry Andrew'' resumed blockading duties off Stono River until ordered to New York in August for extensive repairs. While steaming north, ''Henry Andrew'' encountered heavy weather off Cape Hatteras. She was battered about badly and went ashore south of Cape Henry, Virginia on 24 August 1862. There were no deaths but the ship was a total wreck and was not salvaged.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry Andrew Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in New York City Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Shipwrecks of the Virginia coast Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in August 1862 1847 ships