AH-WR-0958

USS Iron Age

Screw Steamer · United States · Lost 1864 · The Outer Banks

A Union blockade gunboat ran aground and was destroyed while attempting to salvage the wrecked blockade runner Bendigo.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

USS Iron Age was a wooden screw steamer built at Kennebunk, Maine, purchased by the Navy in 1863 for blockade duty off Wilmington. She helped force runners ashore and assisted in destroying the blockade runner Venus in October 1863. On 10-11 January 1864, while working to destroy the grounded runner Bendigo near Lockwood's Folly Inlet, Iron Age herself ran hard aground; after efforts to free her failed, she was burned, and her magazine exploded.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 144 ft
Beam: 25 ft
Tonnage: 424
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: January 11, 1864
Cause: Grounding
Location: Near Lockwood's Folly Inlet, North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Off Wilmington, North Carolina (blockade station)
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: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Holden Beach, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)

Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Build, service, and loss details.
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies (Carolana.com transcription)
Confirmation of grounding date and location.