Vessels converted from civilian steamboats by arming them, adding a wooden casemate, and armoring portions of the vessel, were referred to as tinclad warships. The Union Navy used tinclad warships during the American Civil War, mostly converted civilian ships, although a few were purpose-built for the United States War Department; some had formerly been in Confederate service. Tinclads were cheaper, required smaller crews, and could enter shallower water than ironclad warships due to their light drafts. While tinclads were poorly suited to engage heavy artillery or other warships, they were better equipped to combat small groups of enemy soldiers. Tinclads were frequently used for escort and patrol duties, and sometimes provided naval support for other military actions. A total of 74 saw service during the war.
Background
During the American Civil War, the control of the rivers of the United States of America and the Confederate States of America was strategically important. Both sides purchased civilian steamboats for conversion into warships. Both sides built ironclads, warships with heavy iron armor, and early in the war Union forces built several timberclads, vessels that used layers of wood as armor.[1] A third type of vessel used by the Union Navy was the tinclad warship. Tinclads were generally converted civilian vessels,[2] although several were purpose-built for the United States War Department late in the war.[3] The process of converting a civilian steamer into a tinclad involved arming the ships (originally with either six or eight cannons, although it was eventually found advisable to add heavier cannon to the vessels), adding a casemate made of wood and at least partially covered with thin iron armor, replacing the existing pilothouse with a better-armored one, reinforcing decks and internal beams, and removing the texas.[4]
Tinclads were cheaper than ironclads, easier to produce, and required smaller crews; their smaller drafts allowed them to enter shallower water than other warships could. Another drawback to the ironclads was that they were generally ineffective against small groups of enemy soldiers, while the tinclads were better suited to handle such threats.[5] However, the tinclads were poorly suited for engaging heavy artillery or enemy warships.[6] During the war, the tinclads performed patrols on the rivers, protected and escorted other vessels, and sometimes acted as naval support for military actions.[7] Seventy-four tinclads entered service during the war.[8]
List of tinclads
Beginning on June 19, 1863, the tinclads were assigned identifying numbers, which were painted on each vessel's pilothouse.[6]
Served with the Western Gunboat Flotilla and the Mississippi River Squadron. Was involved in actions at Fort Donelson, Tennessee, in February 1863; at Palmyra, Tennessee, in April 1863, and at Cerro Gordo, Tennessee, in June 1863.[11]
Served with the Western Gunboat Flotilla, the Mississippi River Squadron, and the United States Ram Fleet. Participated in the capture of CSS Missouri in June 1865.[13]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was engaged at Fort Donelson in February 1863, and at Palmyra, Tennessee in April 1863. In February 1864, sank another Union vessel in a collision, and took part in the Red River campaign later in 1864.[15]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron in 1862. In February 1863, she was engaged at Fort Donelson in Tennessee, and in April 1863 burned Palmyra, Tennessee. In December 1864, she was involved in the Nashville campaign.[11]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was on the Yazoo River in November and December 1862, and was involved in the campaign related to the Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863. In March 1863, was part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, and served on the White and Little Red Rivers in August 1863. In early 1864, took part in a campaign on the Yazoo River.[16]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was on the Yazoo River in December 1862, and took part in the campaign related to the Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863. In March 1863 participated in the Yazoo Pass expedition, and was involved in the Battle of Snyder's Bluff in April and May of that year. Advanced up the Yazoo River in May 1863, and two months later destroyed Confederate ships at Yazoo City, Mississippi. Took part in the Red River campaign in 1864.[15]
Burned to prevent capture after battle damage, May 5, 1864[15]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Bombarded Drumgold's Bluff in December 1862, and in January 1863 was involved in the Battle of Arkansas Post. Participated in the Yazoo Pass Expedition in March 1863. In May 1863 served on the Yazoo River, and destroyed Confederate naval facilities at Yazoo City, Mississippi. Served on the Red River in July 1863, and took part in the Red River campaign in early 1864.[17]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was on the Yazoo River in December 1862, and participated in the Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863. In March 1863, was part of the Yazoo Pass Expedition, and took part in the Battle of Snyder's Bluff in April and May 1863. Served on the Yazoo River in early 1864.[15]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. In December 1862, removed naval mines on the Yazoo River. In January 1863, was involved in the Battle of Arkansas Post, and in early 1864 was part of the Red River campaign.[16]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was involved with the Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863 and the Battle of Fort Pillow in April 1864.[19]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was involved in the campaign related to the Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863, and in the Yazoo Pass Expedition the following March. In July 1863, she served on the Red, Tensas, and Ouachita Rivers.[20]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was engaged at Fort Donelson in February 1863, and bombarded the towns of Florence, Alabama, and Palmyra, Tennessee, in late March and early April 1863. Was engaged on the Cumberland river in December 1864.[21]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. In April and May 1863, participated in the Battle of Snyder's Bluff, and served on the Yazoo River in May 1863.[16]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Burned Palmyra, Tennessee, in April 1863, and served on the Ohio River during Morgan's Raid in July 1863.[11]
Was engaged in a skirmish near Greenville, Mississippi, in May 1863, and served on the White River in August of that year. Served on the Ouachita River in early March 1864, before participating in the Red River campaign, during which she was damaged.[22]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Bombarded Eunice, Mississippi, in June 1863, was served on the Yazoo River in April 1864. Damaged in a skirmish at Gaines Landing, Arkansas, in August 1864.[20]
Served on the Red, Tensas, and Ouachita Rivers in July 1863, and in May of the next year, skirmished with a shore battery at Gaines Landing, Arkansas.[23]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Participated in the Battle of Snyder's Bluff in April and May 1863, and then served on the Yazoo River in the latter month. Served on the Red River in July 1863, and was on the Yazoo River in early 1864.[20]
Captured by Confederate forces on April 22, 1864, and later scuttled[20]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was on the Ohio River in July 1863, including during Morgan's Raid. Fought in a skirmish at Clarendon, Arkansas, in June 1864.[19]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was part of a movement towards Eastport, Mississippi in May 1863. During April of the next year, she was involved in the Battle of Fort Pillow, and in December 1864 was engaged on the Cumberland river.[26]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron, sometimes on the Arkansas River. Was involved in an expedition to Yazoo City, Mississippi, in July 1863, and from 1863 to 1865, served in the Port Hudson, Louisiana, area. Participated in the capture of CSS Missouri in June 1865.[16]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron, especially on the Tennessee River. Was involved in an expedition to Eastport, Mississippi, in October 1864, and was present at the Battle of Johnsonville the next month.[16]
Served on the Tennessee River in 1863. Was part of an expedition on the Yazoo River in early 1864, and was damaged in at skirmish at Columbia, Arkansas, in June 1864.[23]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was on the Ohio River in July 1863, including during Morgan's Raid. Fought at the Battle of Fort Pillow in April 1864, skirmished against Confederate forces on the Cumberland River in December 1864, and in a fight at Centre Furnace, Tennessee, in April 1865.[29]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. In July 1863, she served on the Ohio River during Morgan's Raid, and in November 1864 participated in a skirmish at Paducah, Kentucky.[11]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Was on the Ohio River during July 1863, including during Morgan's Raid. Served on the Cumberland River in December 1864 and was a dispatch vessel in 1865.[15]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Sank after hitting a snag in August 1863, but was later refloated. Acted in support of Union Army operations on the Tennessee River from October to December 1863, and in March of the following year took part in a skirmish at Paducah, Kentucky.[31]
Served with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. Fought a minor action on the Tchefuncte River in May 1864, and was present at the Battle of Mobile Bay in August. In September 1864 was part of an expedition to the Bon Secour River.[21]
Served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Almost rank in July 1864 on the Tennessee River, and was part of a movement to Eastport, Mississippi, in October 1864. Took part in an engagement at Paris Landing, Tennessee, in October 1864, in which she was captured.[21]
Captured by Confederate forces on October 30, 1864, and burned on November 4, 1864[21]
Served with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. Guarded the Head of Passes from March 1864 to February 1865. In March and April 1865, served in the Mobile, Alabama, area.[29]
Initially served with the Mississippi River Squadron. Participated with the Red River expedition in early 1864, before transferring to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in June 1864.[21]
Served with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron]] in 1863, and later on the Lower Mississippi River in 1864 and 1865, including an expedition to Lake Pontchartrain in October 1864.[3]
Served with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, including actions at Mobile Bay in August 1864, Bon Secour, Alabama, in September 1864, and the Blakely River in April 1865.[15]
^Evans, Mark L. (July 8, 2015). "Tempest I". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
Sources
Gudmestad, Robert (2021). "Elusive Victory: The Union Navy's War along the Western Waters". Civil War History. 67 (2): 79–109. doi:10.1353/cwh.2021.0016. S2CID234772175.
Silverstone, Paul H. (1989). Warships of the Civil War Navies. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-783-6.
Smith, Myron J. (2010). Tinclads in the Civil War: Union Light-Draught Gunboat Operations on Western Waters, 1862–1865. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN978-0-7864-3579-1.