Help! USS General Grant/Onward/Grand Gulf

[V.B.I.E.D.]

Hey guys I was hoping you would be able to help me clear up some information and find more on a ship known as the USS Grant.


Wikipedia
USS General Grant (1863) was a Steamship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamship) chartered from the U.S. War Department (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._War_Department) by the Union Navy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Navy) during the American Civil War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War). She was used by the Navy as a gunboat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunboat) in waterways of the Confederate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America) South.

General Grant was built in 1863 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1863) at Monongahela, Pennsylvania (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monongahela%2C_Pennsylvania); purchased by the War Department; chartered by the Navy and commissioned at Bridgeport, Alabama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeport%2C_Alabama), 20 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_20) 1864 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1864), Acting Ens. Joseph Watson in command.

General Grant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Grant) constantly patrolled the upper Tennessee River (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_River) from Bridgeport until close of the Civil War, fighting guerrillas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrillas) and aiding the Union Army (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Army) in clearing Confederate troops from the region.

In October 1864 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1864) she destroyed 22 small boats off Port Deposit and Crow Island. On 25 November (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_25) she assisted in taking up pontoon bridges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontoon_bridge) under guns of Confederate sharpshooters at Decatur, Alabama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decatur%2C_Alabama). She hurled 52 shells into that town 12 December (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_12) 1864 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1864) and joined General Thomas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_General_Thomas_%281864%29) 15 January (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_15) 1865 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1865) in the destructive bombardment of Guntersville, Alabama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guntersville%2C_Alabama).

She decommissioned and was returned to the War Department 2 June (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2) 1865 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1865). She was lost when stranded in ice 18 March (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_18) 1866 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1866) at Plattsmouth, Nebraska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattsmouth%2C_Nebraska).I'm looking to find out some more of the history of this vessel and it's demise. According to wikipedia "She was lost when stranded in ice 18 March, 1866 at Plattsmouth, Nebraska." I find that really interesting because this is the town where I live. Its a small town of roughly 7,500 and I never really heard about this until now. If this is true id like to learn some more about it and see what happened to it.

Maybe its still down there woot

Can anyone help me out?

[Mofreaka]

Well presuming there is a river near your town, then its possible. Time to buy some diving gear, eh?

[V.B.I.E.D.]

Well presuming there is a river near your town, then its possible. Time to buy some diving gear, eh?
Haha yeah I actually planned on getting my diving certification before I even knew this so this would give me all the more reason to.

I think I'm gonna check with the historical society here and maybe see what I can get from the Navy on this. Its a long shot but we'll see.

[bd popeye]

Friend you gotta get the straigt scoop from the US Navy.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-civil/civsh-g/gen-grnt.htm



Steamship General Grant (1863-1869).
Originally named Onward.
Served as USS Grand Gulf in 1863-1865

Onward, a 1200-ton (burden) wooden-hulled screw steamship, was built at New York City in 1863. The Navy purchased her from her builders, converted her to a gunboat and, in September 1863, placed her in commission as USS Grand Gulf. Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, she operated off the Carolina coast from October 1863 until July 1864, capturing three blockade runners, among them the steamers Banshee (http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-civil/civsh-b/banshee.htm) (on 21 November 1863) and Young Republic (on 6 May 1864).

In August 1864 Grand Gulf participated in the search for the Confederate raider Tallahassee, during which she recovered one of that cruiser's victims, the disabled schooner Billow. Her next duty, performed in September, October and November 1864, was to convoy the merchant steamer Ocean Queen during round-trip voyages between New York and Panama.

After more than three months of repairs, Grand Gulf towed the ironclad torpedo vessel Casco (http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/casco.htm) to Hampton Roads, Virginia, in early March 1865, then continued on to the Gulf of Mexico, where she served off Galveston, Texas, until after the Civil War's end. From late June until mid-October, the steamer was stationed at New Orleans, Louisiana. USS Grand Gulf was decommissioned at New York in November and sold at the end of that month. Subsequently renamed General Grant, she operated commercially between New York and New Orleans until destroyed by fire at the latter port on 19 April 1869.



Intresting. Seems there were two ships named the General Grant. Check the USN pic and compare it to the Wiki pic...

http://i29.tinypic.com/73dk6c.jpg


Wiki pic of USS General Grant

http://i28.tinypic.com/nbu0co.jpg


US Navy pic of USS General Grant

[V.B.I.E.D.]

Just got in contact with the county historical society. I'm gonna go down to their museum tomorrow and grab a file they have waiting for me with some information. If anyone's interested, if I find anything worth posting ill scan it and post.

[Happy]

the odds are her engines were salvaged, as was her lumber. The engines were reused in boat after boat, they were way too valuble to leave on a wreck.