AH-WR-1477

General Hunter

Army Transport · United States · Lost 1864 · Florida's Atlantic Coast

A Union army transport sunk by a Confederate mine in the St. Johns River, two weeks after the Maple Leaf.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

General Hunter was a steamer chartered as a transport by the Union army in northeast Florida. On 16 April 1864 she struck a Confederate torpedo in the St. Johns River near Mandarin Point and sank. Her loss came only two weeks after the Maple Leaf was sunk by a mine nearby. The two sinkings showed how effective Confederate mines were on the river.

Vessel

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

Loss

Date: April 16, 1864
Cause: Enemy action
Location: St. Johns River, near Mandarin Point
Water: St. Johns River
Voyage: Not established
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: 30.16° N 81.67° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Mandarin Point, Jacksonville, Florida
Region: Florida's Atlantic Coast

Pin marks the named place of loss, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)

Exact wreck position, depth and present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion
Loss date, circumstances and the vessels involved.
Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research
St. Johns River wreck context.