The Strange Story of a Monitor-- Sunk Before Commissioning-- Part 2

There was the big fear that a Confederate ship might slip into the bay past the forts guarding it under the cover of darkness or fog. Once past the forts on Alcatraz Island and Fort Point and out of their range, the city would be at the Confederate's mercy unless an ironclad were there to challenge it.

Around 200 cannons were installed around the entrance of the bay at Fort Point, Alcatraz and Angel island.

The now-sunken Aguila had 25 feet of stern above water and the bow under 38 feet at high tide. And, the Camanche was still inside.

It took a year and a half to get the monitor out, reassemble it, and test its seaworthiness before it was commissioned after the Civil war was over and the threat no longer existed.

It remained on station for a year before decommissioning. After that, it spent most of its time anchored in the Napa River near the Navy Yard until it was sold in 1899 to J. P. Bereovich & Livingston for $6,581.25 and converted to a coal barge.

A sad end for a war ship.

I also found that the double-turreted monitor USS Monadnock, which participated in the attacks on Fort Fisher, made the perilous voyage around the tip of South America after the war to become the second ironclad available for San Francisco's protection.

An Interesting Story. --Old B-R

The Strange Story of a Monitor-- Sunk Before Commissioning-- Part 1

A very interesting story I was not familiar with in Nilda Rego's days Gone By column in the January 3, 2010, Contra Costa (Ca) Times. It concerns a Union monitor that was built in New Jersey, shipped to San Francisco in pieces and sunk in the ship carrying it.

I also messed up on the spelling of the USS Camanche, spelling it like the Indian tribe, Comanche, and not finding anything in the searches as a result.

On November 3, 1863, the people of San Francisco were overjoyed as the ship Aguila entered the bay carrying the pieces of the second-generation monitor USS Camanche in its hold, the first ironclad on the Pacific Coast.

Always fearing an attack by Confederate raiders or privateers, the citizens had constantly petitioned Washington, DC, for one. Now it was here. Instead of the two 12-inch guns on the USS Monitor, the Passaic-class Camanche mounted two 15-inch cannons.

It had been built in New Jersey, dismantles, and on May 30, 1863, had begun its five and a half month voyage to California.

Six days after arrival, a severe gale blew in and sank the Aguila, with the Camanche still in its hold.

And the Story Continues. --Old B-Runner