AH-WR-0599

USS Dai Ching

Steam Gunboat · United States · Lost 1865 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Union gunboat, originally built for the China trade, burned by her own crew after a seven-hour fight with a Confederate battery on the Combahee River.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built for the Chinese market in 1863 but sold instead to the U.S. Navy, Dai Ching served on blockade duty off Charleston and in Florida. On 26 January 1865, while patrolling South Carolina's Combahee River during Sherman's campaign, she ran aground under fire from a Confederate battery. After a defense lasting more than seven hours with her guns disabled, her crew set her afire and escaped, though five men were later captured ashore.

Vessel

Built: 1863
Builder: James C. Jewett & Co.
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 170.5 ft
Beam: 29.3 ft
Tonnage: 520
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: January 26, 1865
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Combahee River, South Carolina
Water: Combahee River
Voyage: Patrol on the South Carolina coast
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 83
Lives lost: All crew escaped except five who were absent from the ship on duty and later captured.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Burned and abandoned in the river after grounding
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 32.51° N 80.51° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Combahee River, near Beaufort, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

General area only: coordinate of the Combahee River from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named body of water of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)

Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS)
Construction, service, and loss circumstances.
Running the Blockade: A Civil War Naval Blog
Narrative detail on the final engagement.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Combahee River, South Carolina
coordinate of the named place of loss