USS Adirondack
Screw Sloop Of War · United States · Lost 1862 · The Bahamas
A Union Navy screw sloop commissioned only months before running aground on Little Bahama Bank in 1862 while hunting Confederate raiders, now a shallow Abaco wreck dive.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Commissioned in June 1862, USS Adirondack was ordered to the Bahamas within weeks to investigate the Confederate commerce raider being fitted out at Nassau. After taking one prize, the sloop ran aground on Little Bahama Bank off Man-O-War Cay on 23 August 1862, just 54 days after commissioning. Her crew was rescued by USS Canandaigua, but salvage attempts failed and the ship broke apart in the surf. Cannons, ballast stones and structural iron remain scattered on the shallow reef today.
Vessel
- 1862
- New York Navy Yard
- Brooklyn, New York
- Wood
- 207 ft
- 38 ft
- 1240
- Steam, single screw, auxiliary sail
- United States Navy
Loss
- August 23, 1862
- Grounding
- Little Bahama Bank, off Man-O-War Cay, Abaco
- Little Bahama Bank
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Crew was rescued by USS Canandaigua; no deaths are recorded in the sources reviewed.
- Commander Guert Gansevoort
The Wreck Today
- 13-20
- Scattered wreckage including cannons, ballast stones and anchor chain on a shallow reef
- Not established
- Not established
- Historical artifacts protected under Bahamian antiquities law; photography only
Position
- Not established
- Approximate position
- Man-O-War Cay, Abaco
Located on a shallow reef off Man-O-War Cay; a precise surveyed position was not found in sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS)
Build, commissioning, deployment orders, and loss narrative.
Wikipedia (USS Adirondack, 1862)
Dimensions, armament, class details.
