Topic starter
16/04/2011 2:06 am
In 1861 CORNELIUS VANDERBILT presented a high-speed side-wheel steamer to the United States Navy. At the time, there were less than 50 ships in active naval service. The cruiser, named the Vanderbilt, captured three blockade-runners during the war and in 1865 participated in the bombardment and amphibious assault on Fort Fisher. The Federal Navy at that time had grown to a fleet of more than 550 steam-powered ships.
They Also Served | thisweekinthecivilwar
Photo/sketch is provided below. This is the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War, so expect to see and hear more about steamboats in the Civil War in the next four years.