Let's file this under stuff I didn't know.
Remo, in his excellent Naval Warfare blog's Nov. 27th entry, wrote about the USS Wachusett and its commander Napoleon Collins who took her into a neutral harbor in order to cut out the Confederate raider Florida.
He had pictures and a lot more information, but, in a nutshell:
The steam screw USS Wachusett was commissioned March 3, 1862 and built by the Union Navy. It was 201 feet long and had a 34 foot beam with top speed of 11,5 knots. It carried 10 cannons from 2 11 inch rifles to a 12 pdr. It was named after Mount Wachusett in Massachusetts.
It joined the North Atlantic Blockade Squadron and gave support to the Union army during the Peninsular campaign and took park in the attack on Fort Darling, protecting the James River approach to Richmond.
In September, 1862, it became the flagship of the "Flying Squadron" whose job was to hunt down and destroy Confederate raiders.
On Oct. 4, 1864, it spotted the CSS Florida entering Bahia Harbor Brazil, and Commander Napoleon Collins took up station off shore. The Florida had already destroyed 33 Union merchant ships and Collins decided he would go into the harbor, despite Brazil's neutrality, and capture it.
This he did, ramming the Florida, towing it out, and coming under fire of a Brazilian fort. This action caused an international crisis. The US admitted Collins move had been illegal and agreed to return the Florida to Brazil. But, before, this could happen, the Florida was " mysteriously" rammed by a US Army transport and sank.
Collins was court-martialed for his role, but, with public opinion in his favor, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles did not remove him from command and dismissed the findings. In 1874 , he was made Rear Admiral, but died the following year.
Now, This Has the Makings of a Great Movie. --Blockade-R
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