The first USS ''Saginaw'' was a sidewheel sloop-of-war in the

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 ...

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 ...

. The ship was in operation throughout the 1860s, but in 1870 wrecked on what is now known as

Kure Atoll Kure Atoll (; haw, Hōlanikū, translation=bringing forth heaven; haw, Mokupāpapa, translation=flat island, label=none) or Ocean Island is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean west-northwest of Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands ...

, a Pacific island. The event produced several books and one of the surviving boats from the ship is in a museum. The wreck of the USS ''Saginaw'' was found in 2003.

History

The first vessel built by the

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates t ...

, ''Saginaw'' was laid down on 16 September 1858; launched as ''Toucey'' on 3 March 1859; sponsored by Miss Cunningham, daughter of the commandant of the Navy Yard; renamed ''Saginaw''; and commissioned on 5 January 1860, Commander James F. Schenck in command. The new side-wheel ship sailed from San Francisco Bay on 8 March 1860, headed for the western Pacific, and reached Shanghai, China on 12 May. She then served in the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

, for the most part cruising along the Chinese coast to protect American citizens and to suppress pirates. She visited Japan in November but soon returned to Chinese waters. On 30 June 1861, she silenced a battery at the entrance to Qui Nhon Bay,

Cochin China Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exon ...

, which had fired upon her while she was searching for the missing boat and crew of American bark ''Myrtle''. On 3 January 1862, ''Saginaw'' was decommissioned at Hong Kong and returned to

Mare Island Mare Island ( Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the ...

on 3 July for repairs. Relaunched on 3 December 1862 and recommissioned on 23 March 1863, ''Saginaw'' was attached to the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

and operated along the

United States West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. ...

to prevent

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 1 ...

activity. She visited

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

in the spring of 1863 to investigate reports that Confederate

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s were being outfitted in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, but returned after learning that the scheme had no chance of success. Her cruises in 1864 took ''Saginaw'' to ports in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

to protect the interests of the United States endangered by Confederate activity and by European interference in Mexico. During the closing months of the year, she escorted steamers of the

Pacific Mail Steamship Company The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants. Incorporators included William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett (American consul ...

carrying rich cargoes of bullion from the California gold fields. In the spring of 1865, the ship was assigned to the

United States Revenue Cutter Service ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

but was returned to the Navy on 2 June 1865. She spent the remainder of 1865 protecting American citizens at

Guaymas Guaymas () is a city in Guaymas Municipality, in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city is south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and from the U.S. border. The municipality is located on the Gulf of Cali ...

and other Mexican ports during the unrest and disorder which beset Mexico during the struggle between Emperor Maximilian I and

Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec, he was the first indigenous pre ...

. In March 1866, ''Saginaw'' returned to Mare Island. She sailed in August 1866 for Puget Sound to support settlers in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

. While there, she aided the Western Union Company in laying a cable which brought the first

telegraphic Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

service to the region. After returning to Mare Island in December 1866, the ship remained at the navy yard through 1867. In April 1868, a year after the United States purchased

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, ''Saginaw'' got underway for the

Alaska Territory The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...

and, with the exception of a run home late in the year for replenishment, spent the next year exploring and charting the Alaskan coast. In the February 1869 Kake War the ''USS Saginaw'' destroyed three deserted villages and two forts near present-day

Kake, Alaska Kake (, like 'cake') is a first-class city in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 557 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the Tlingit word ''Ḵéix̱ʼ'' (Northern Tlingit) or ''Ḵéex̱ʼ'' (Sou ...

. Prior to the conflict, two white trappers were killed by the Kake in retribution for the death of two Kake departing Sitka village in canoe. Sitka was the site of a standoff between the Army and

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

due to the army demanding the surrender of chief Colchika who was involved in an altercation in Fort Sitka. While no Kake, or possibly a single old woman, died in the destruction of the villages, the loss of winter stores, canoes, and shelter led to the death during the winter of some of the Kake.Harring, Sidney L. "The Incorporation of Alaskan Natives Under American Law: United States and Tlingit Sovereignty, 1867-1900." Ariz. L. Rev. 31 (1989): 279.
/ref>“Search for and destroy”: US Army Relations with Alaska’s Tlingit Indians and the Kake War of 1869,” Jones, Zachary R.
/ref> After steaming back to San Francisco Bay in April 1869, ''Saginaw'' departed her home port on 28 July 1869 and operated along the coast of Mexico until arriving back at Mare Island on 11 November 1869.

Fate

''Saginaw''s next assignment took her to Midway Atoll to support dredging operations to deepen the entrance to the harbor. She reached Midway on 24 March 1870 and completed her task on 21 October 1870. A week later, she sailed for San Francisco, intending to touch at

(at that time known as Ocean Island) en route home to rescue any shipwrecked sailors who might be stranded there. The next day, 29 October 1870, as she neared this rarely visited

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

, ''Saginaw'' struck an outlying

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...

and grounded. Before the surf battered the ship to pieces, her 93 crew managed to transfer much of her gear and provisions to the atoll. On 18 November, a party of five men, headed by Lieutenant John G. Talbot, the executive officer, set out for

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

in a small boat to get relief for their stranded shipmates. As they neared Kauai, 31 days and some later, their boat was upset by breakers. Only

Coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...

William Halford survived to obtain help. He landed on Kauai, where Captain Dudoit of the schooner ''Wainona'' offered to take him straight to Honolulu leaving his return freight for a later trip. They sailed on Tuesday 20 Dec and arrived at Honolulu on Saturday 24 December and was taken to the United States Consulate there. The US Consul authorised the despatch of a fast sailing coaster, the ''Kona Packet'', which departed on Sunday 25 December, and the

King of Hawaii Kamehameha I established the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1795 after conquering most of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, Kaumualiʻi became a vassal of Kamehameha I, who therefore emerged as the sole sovereign of the island chain of Hawaiʻi. His dyna ...

, Kamehameha V, sent the inter-island steamer, '' Kilauea'' under Captain Thomas Long, to rescue the shipwrecked sailors. After loading with coal for 2 days and food and copious fresh water they departed on Monday 26 December. The ''Kilauea'' arrived at Kure on 4 January 1871, and the ''Kona Packet'' a day later. Due to uncertainty over the coal required for the return journey they steamed to

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

loading 40 tons of coal and left on 7 January, arriving back in Honolulu on 14 January, a round trip of 2350 miles. Captain Long was presented with a heavy gold-cased chronometer watch by the U.S. Government as thanks for successfully undertaking the rescue mission. The Saginaw's gig survived being capsized in the breakers, and was sold at auction in January 1871. The purchaser presented it to the rescued crew of the ''Saginaw'', whereupon it was transported back to San Francisco on the ''A.P. Jordan''. Until 2015, it was displayed in the Curator Collection at the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History in

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. As of May 2021, the boat was stored off public display in the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Headquarters Artifact Collection. The crew of the ''Saginaw'' may have been aware of the loss of the whaler ''Gledstanes'' on the same reef on 9 July 1837, as the crew of the ''Gledstanes'' faced the same predicament and constructed a schooner ''Deliverance'' from the wreckage of the ''Gledstanes'' over many months, whereupon Captain J.R. Brown with 8 men sailed for Hawaii on 15 Dec to secure a rescue ship which took the remaining men off the atoll in February.The Midway Island Speculation and what came of it (referencing The Hawaian Spectator, July 1838), The Pacific Commercial Advertiser, 28 January 1871 The wreck of ''Saginaw'' was discovered in 2003 and remains under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. The book ''A Civil War Gunboat in Pacific Waters: Life on Board USS Saginaw'' (by Hans Van Tilburg, University Press of Florida, 2010) covers the ship's construction, her ten years of service in the Pacific, and her loss at Kure Atoll. Van Tilburg led the team which discovered the wreck site in 2003. The book ''The Wreck of the Saginaw'' (by Keith Robertson, The Viking Press, 1954, 144 pp) covers the voyage of the five sailors who sailed a small boat to Hawaii seeking rescue for the survivors remaining on Kure Atoll.

References

External links

* *
Letterbook of the U.S.S. Saginaw, 1869-1871 MS 411
held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saginaw Steamships of the United States Navy Ships of the Union Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Michigan in the American Civil War Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in October 1870 Ships built in Vallejo, California 1859 ships Shipwrecks of Hawaii 1870 in Hawaii

History

Fate

See also

References

External links