AH-WR-0609

Beatrice

Blockade Runner · United Kingdom (Confederate-chartered) · Lost 1864 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A British blockade runner captured by a Union launch crew off Charleston, then wrecked when the prize crew accidentally ran her aground.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Beatrice was a British-flagged steamer running the Charleston blockade when Union picket launches from the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron captured her in late November 1864. Seaman Oliver O'Brien, who led part of the boarding action, later received the Medal of Honor. The prize crew then accidentally grounded Beatrice near Sullivan's Island, and she became a total wreck.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Not established
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: November 27, 1864
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Near Bowman's Jetty, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
Water: Charleston Harbor
Voyage: Charleston, South Carolina
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Grounded and wrecked after capture; possibly one of two magnetic anomalies later relocated near the Celt site by SCIAA
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 32.77° N 79.84° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

General area only: coordinate of Sullivan's Island from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (near Bowman's Jetty, Sullivan's Island), not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)

The vessel's builder, tonnage, and precise wreck location are not established in the sources reviewed, and sources differ on the exact date of loss.

Running the Blockade: A Civil War Naval Blog
Capture date, circumstances, and Rear Admiral Dahlgren's contemporary comment.
U.S. Navy Medal of Honor citation records (Oliver O'Brien)
Confirmation of the capture action and award date.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Sullivan's Island, South Carolina
coordinate of the named place of loss