hat guns, torpedoes, an ironclad ram, and the open ocean could not achieve, a lack of funding and resolve—not to mention the devastating effects of time on an unmaintained wooden ship—sealed the fate of one of our nation’s most illustrious ships. USS Hartford was integral in helping win the Civil War and won the heart and soul of the nation. The 1858 sloop-of-war should have—and easily could have—become a museum ship so that her role in American history would not be forgotten. In the early twentieth century, many states were proposing such plans. From Alabama to Massachusetts, from Louisiana to Connecticut, from presidents to governors, it seemed like everybody wanted the Hartford. Instead of extending her life as a museum flagship, Hartford ended in the mud. How did such a mighty ship meet such an inglorious, unnecessary end? Thousands of people gathered to watch as the 220-foot sloop-of-war first entered the waters at the Boston Naval Shipyard. For her launch, she had two bottles broken across her stem—one containing water
by Todd Jones
library of congress, photo by k. loeffler, 1909
W
The Sinking of USS Hartford
Sloop of War USS Hartford, 1909 from the Connecticut River for her nameIn 1864 Hartford led a massive naval sake and a second with seawater for her fleet into Mobile Bay, where the Navy was destiny. Powered by both sail and steam, determined to capture the Alabama port. at the time of her launch USS Hartford was Farragut, positioned aloft in Hartford’s rig, one of the Navy’s most advanced ships. had been warned that the Confederates During the Civil War, Admiral David Far- had littered the harbor with mines (then ragut chose her as his flagship, making her called torpedoes). Unfazed, the admiral the first American warship to fly an admi- allegedly shouted, “Damn the torpedoes— ral’s flag. In 1862 she sped past rebel forts Full speed ahead!” And with that, USS and helped take New Orleans. A year later Hartford entered the realm of legend. she helped capture Vicksburg. Glory did not come easy. Below deck, a
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from a sketch by henry a. ogden, c. 1917, library of congress
william h. topley collection, naval history and heritage command, us navy
USS Hartford in the floating dry dock at Mare Island Navy Yard, California, c. 1885.
Such was the pride felt across the nation of Admiral Farragut’s victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay that his image and famous quote were used in World War I recruiting posters, medallions, and collectable cards. SEA HISTORY 176, AUTUMN 2021