AH-WR-1041

Helen

Blockade Runner · Confederate States · Lost 1864 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Confederate steamer once known as CSS Juno, lost off Charleston as the blockade runner Helen in March 1864.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built for the Confederate Navy as the small steamer Juno, the vessel later ran the Union blockade at Charleston under the name Helen. In March 1864 she was wrecked near the harbor bar while attempting to slip past the blockading fleet. Records of her exact fate and final position are incomplete. She belongs to the large family of Charleston-area blockade-running losses.

Vessel

Built: 1863
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Iron
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: Confederate States Navy (as CSS Juno); later blockade-running interests as Helen

Loss

Date: March 19, 1864
Cause: Grounding
Location: Off Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean, Charleston Harbor approaches
Voyage: Charleston, South Carolina
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Charleston Harbor bar, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (40/100)

Precise position, dimensions, and full circumstances of loss are not established in the sources reviewed.

Naval History and Heritage Command
Identity of CSS Juno and later career/loss as blockade runner Helen.