USS ''Merrimac'' (sometimes mistakenly called USS'' Merrimack'') was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

collier during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. It was the only American vessel sunk by the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

in that conflict although it had managed to leave some smaller ships quite damaged in skirmishes such as the Battle of Cárdenas or the Battle of Manzanillo.

History

''Merrimac'', a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

, was built by Swan & Hunter shipyard as SS ''Solveig'' in

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This fo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in November 1894. It was purchased by the US Navy in April 1898. Rear Admiral

William T. Sampson William Thomas Sampson (February 9, 1840 – May 6, 1902) was a United States Navy Rear Admiral (United States), rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Biography He was born in P ...

ordered her to be sunk as a

blockship A blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used. It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of at Portland Harbour in 1914; ...

at the entrance of Santiago Harbor,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, in an attempt to trap the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

fleet in the harbor. On the night of 2–3 June 1898, eight volunteers attempted to execute this mission, but ''Merrimac''s steering gear was disabled by the fire of Spanish land-based

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s. The American steamer was later sunk by the combined gunfire and the torpedoes of the

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

''Vizcaya'', the unprotected cruiser ''Reina Mercedes'', and the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

''Plutón'' without obstructing the harbor entrance. Its crewmen were rescued by the Spanish and made

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. After the

Battle of Santiago de Cuba The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurred ...

destroyed the Spanish fleet a month later, the men were released. All eight were awarded

Medals of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. Th ...

for their part in the mission.Hobson, p. xxiv

Volunteers

The eight volunteer crewman of the ''Merrimac'' were: * Lieutenant

Richmond P. Hobson Richmond Pearson Hobson (August 17, 1870 – March 16, 1937) was a United States Navy rear admiral who served from 1907–1915 as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Alabama. A veteran of the Spanish–American Wa ...

* Coxswain Claus K. R. Clausen * Coxswain Osborn W. Deignan * Coxswain John E. Murphy * Chief Master-At-Arms Daniel Montague * Gunner's Mate First Class George Charette * Machinist First Class George F. Phillips * Watertender Francis Kelly File:Lieut Richmond Pearson Hobson 001.jpg, File:Claus K R Clausen.jpg, File:Osborn W Deignan.jpg, File:John E Murphy (MOH).jpg, File:Daniel Montague (MOH).jpg, File:George Charrette.jpg, File:George Frederick Phillips.jpg, File:Francis Kelly (MOH).jpg,

Notes

References

Sinking of the U.S. Navy Collier ''Merrimac''
* Hobson, Richmond Pearson (1899). ''The Sinking of the Merrimac''. Classics of Naval Literature. Naval Institute Press. * * Ships built on the River Tyne Steamships of Norway Steamships of the United States Navy 1894 ships Spanish–American War naval ships of the United States Maritime incidents in 1898 Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Shipwrecks of the Spanish–American War Battles and conflicts without fatalities Ships sunk with no fatalities Ships built by Swan Hunter {{US-mil-ship-stub