General Beauregard
Blockade Runner · United Kingdom · Lost 1863 · The Outer Banks
Originally a Glasgow-Dublin ferry, this blockade runner made sixteen successful runs before being trapped and destroyed off Carolina Beach.
Steve Weeks
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built as the ferry Havelock at Govan, Scotland, in 1858, the vessel was purchased in 1863 by a Charleston trading company, renamed General Beauregard, and converted for blockade running. She completed sixteen successful runs before being caught by USS Howquah and USS Tuscarora three miles north of Fort Fisher on 11 December 1863. Trapped in crossfire between the Union ships and Confederate shore batteries, she was destroyed to prevent capture. Parts of her paddle wheel remain visible at low tide today.
Vessel
- 1858
- Not established
- Govan, Scotland
- Iron
- 223 ft
- 27 ft
- Not established
- Steam, side-wheel
- Chicora Importing and Exporting Company of South Carolina
Loss
- December 11, 1863
- Enemy action
- Off Carolina Beach, about 3 miles north of Fort Fisher, North Carolina
- Atlantic Ocean
- Nassau, Bahamas → Wilmington, North Carolina
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Portions of the paddle wheel shaft and hubs remain visible at low tide.
- Not established
- Not established
- Part of the Cape Fear Civil War Shipwreck District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)
North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program / HMDB.org
Build history, former name, cargo, and loss circumstances.
HMDB.org, Shipwreck Site Historical Marker
Present condition and archaeological status.
