AH-WR-0590

USS Althea

Steam Tug · United States · Lost 1865 · The Gulf of Mexico

A small Union Navy tug, built in New Jersey and sent to Farragut's Gulf squadron, sunk by a mine near Mobile days before the city fell.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 in 1863 as the tug Alfred A. Wotkyns, this vessel was purchased by the Union Navy and renamed Althea. After service on the James River in Virginia, she was sent to the Gulf to support Rear Admiral Farragut's squadron off Mobile. On April 12, 1865, she was sunk by a Confederate torpedo near Mobile, with the loss of two of her fifteen-man crew; her own service logs were lost with the sinking.

Vessel

Built: 1863
Builder: Lewis Hoagland
Yard: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Material: Wood
Length: 70 ft
Beam: 16 ft
Tonnage: 72
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: April 12, 1865
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Near Mobile, Alabama
Water: Mobile Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 15
Lives lost: 2
Master: Acting Ensign Frederick A. G. Bacon

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: 30.69° N 88.04° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Mobile, Alabama
Region: The Gulf of Mexico

General area only: coordinate of Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS)
Build, service, and loss narrative.
NavSource Online Service Ship Photo Archive
Casualty names and specifications.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Mobile
coordinate of the named place of loss