AH-WR-0049

USS Cumberland

Sailing Frigate · United States · Lost 1862 · Chesapeake Bay

A U.S. Navy sailing frigate rammed and sunk by the ironclad CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, one of the opening blows of ironclad warfare.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

USS Cumberland was a sailing sloop-of-war that had served the Navy since the early 1840s. On 8 March 1862, at the start of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia rammed and shelled her at anchor off Newport News. Cumberland's crew kept firing as the ship went down, and many were killed. The wreck lies in Hampton Roads and has been studied jointly by the Navy and Virginia's historic preservation office.

Vessel

Built: 1842
Builder: Charlestown Navy Yard
Yard: Charlestown, Massachusetts
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: March 8, 1862
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Hampton Roads, off Newport News, Virginia
Water: Hampton Roads
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: A substantial portion of the crew was killed; the ship continued firing as she went down.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Partially buried remains on the harbor bottom, documented archaeologically
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register as a 19th Century Shipwreck Archaeological Site; managed jointly with the U.S. Navy.

Position

Coordinates: 36.97° N 76.37° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Newport News, Virginia
Region: Chesapeake Bay

General area only: coordinate of Hampton Roads from a gazetteer reference, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)

Exact casualty figures and the wreck's precise present condition are not detailed in the general sources reviewed.

Naval History and Heritage Command
Battle account and wreck site management.
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Landmark register listing and site protection status.
Wikidata — Hampton Roads coordinate location
coordinate of the named place of loss