Appalling Disaster

The Monitor "Weehawken"
Goes Down at Anchor in a Gale


Loss of Four Officers and Twenty-Six of her crew

Republican Advocate, Batavia, New York, Tuesday, December 22, 1863

 Transcribed  and Submitted by Linda Schmidt, November 24, 2006

 

[Correspondence of the New York Herald]

United States Transport "Fulton,"

Off Charleston Bar, December 8.

At two o'clock on Sunday afternoon, while a furious wind prevailed from the Northwest, the iron-clad "Weekawken," lying at the entrance of Charleston harbor, went down at her anchorage - went suddenly, swiftly and unaccountably to the bottom - and carried with her, to a horrible death beneath the waves, four of her engineers and twenty-six of her crew.

Saturday had been a bright and beautiful day, with scarcely a breath of air astir, and with a calm, unruffled sea.  During the night a breeze sprang up, and the wind, blowing freshly at daylight on Sunday, increased by noon to a violent storm.

The iron-clad fleet lying meantime off its usual anchorage. The frigate "New Ironsides" was stationed off Morris Island, at a distance of about one mile due east from Fort Wagner - or, as it is now called, Fort Strong. North of the Ironsides lay the flagship Philadelphia, distant about four hundred yards. The "Weekawken" was next in line, anchored two or three hundred yards to the northward of the flagship. The "Montauk" was on picket duty, between Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie. Astern of the Ironsides lay the "Nahant" and "Passaic" - the latter farthest away from the flagship, and nearer than any other vessel to the Morris Island shore. The South Carolina and the Home were rocking on the restless tide some five or six hundred yards astern of the ironclads.

The above was the position of the fleet when the first signal of distress was made from the Weehawken, at a few minutes before 2 o'clock. The signal was seen, and answered at once by the flagship, from which four boats were dispatched to her assistance, and by the South Carolina, which sent two of her boats to the Weehawken's aid. - The tugs "Dandelion" and "Iris" were at once called up, and with them Commander Duncan, of the "Weehawken," who chanced to be on the flagship, and in conversation with the Admiral, when the signal was made, proceeded immediately, with the hope of running his vessel on the beach. He had scarcely left when the officer of the deck made out from the "Weehawken" a new signal, and immediately reported her to be sinking. A moment after she settled swiftly down by the head, careened slightly over to starboard and disappeared beneath the waves.

It is impossible to convey any idea of the appalling nature of this disaster--it came with the suddenness of a thunderbolt. When the first signal of distress was made, no one divined how serious was the danger, and when, at length the vessel went down, it was difficult for those who saw her disappear to credit even the evidence of their own sense. The confusion on the flagship, arising mainly from the difficulty of launching her boats, and the desire of both officers and men to be first in them, was most intense and painful. The wind was now blowing with great fury, and the boats which hastened from all sides to the scene, encountered great peril in picking up from the water the few who had succeeded in getting away from the "Weehawken" before she sunk. Almost at the very moment she went down some twenty or more sprang to the boats and succeeded in getting away.  As many others were rescued from the surging waves by the launches of the flagship, the "South Carolina" and the tugboats "Dandelion" and "Iris." Thirty perished.

All day the "Weehawken" had labored heavily in the sea, which kept her decks constantly submerged, and which frequently swept in large volumes into her forward hatch. Towards noon the crew commenced paying out chain, to ease her; but, accustomed as they were, in every gale, to the shipping of such seas, it is believed that they had grown confident and careless of danger, and paid no heed to the encroaching waters until it was too late to resist them. They dreamed of no peril until the waves had fairly yawned to swallow them. - Then, when it was known for a certainty that the vessel was to be lost, a panic of fright and fear benumbed them, and the terror-stricken crew below had little power to help themselves. there were men in irons between decks, and the sergeant-at-arms rushed frantically away to release them.

Poor fellows, they all went down. There were invalids in the sick bay, and to their relief the surgeon sent his steward, who never returned. There were firemen at the furnaces, to whom vain shrieks for a helping hand at the pumps were made. A few of the confident were rushing to their quarters to save their effects, jostling the timid on their way to the deck to save themselves. It was in the midst of scenes like those that the "Weehawken" went down.

I believe that none of the officers perished save the four assistant engineers, who were overtaken by the flood before they could make any effort to escape. Commander Duncan had only taken command of the Weehawken on Saturday, having been detached from the Paul Jones to relieve Commander Calhoun. The officers' clothing, the paymaster's funds and the other papers of the ship sank with her.

Various parties were picked up and taken to the nearest vessels, where every provision was made for their comfort and restoration. Those of the crew who were saved are now scattered in small squads throughout the fleet. It is impossible to procure at present the names of those who were lost.

To Fleet Captain Bradford, Captain Ammen, and in fact to all the officers and men of the flagship, great credit is due for their heroic exertions in their frail boats for the rescue of the unfortunate crew. They exposed themselves to great dangers in their efforts to render assistance to others. Commander Ammen, acting under the orders of Admiral Dahlgren, particularly risked himself in the conveyance of orders and precautionary instructions to the remaining Monitors, performing the perilous duty in a small boat.

The "Weehawken" is lying in five fathoms of water, and will soon be raised. Until she is brought up, no one can tell with certainty why she sank. It was thought no fault of her over-hang," for she apparently took in no water except at her forward hatch and hawsehole. It was, to the best of my knowledge, through the inattention, neglect and bad management of those on board that the vessel has been lost. Had the pumps been set at work when the waves first dashed in, it is probably that the Weehawken would at this moment have been afloat. Had the bars with which her compartments were made water-tight been in their proper place, it is quite likely that the dire calamity would never have occurred.

Mr. Falcon, a practical diver, left Hilton Head this morning for the scene of the disaster.

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