USS Milwaukee
River Monitor · United States · Lost 1865 · The Gulf of Mexico
A Union double-turreted river monitor sunk by a Confederate mine in the final weeks of the campaign against Mobile, with no loss of life.
The Vessel and Her Loss
USS Milwaukee was the lead ship of her class of double-turreted river monitors, built at Carondelet, Missouri, and commissioned in 1864. She supported Union operations against Mobile's defenses in early 1865. On March 28, 1865, while withdrawing down the Blakely River after shelling Confederate positions, she struck a mine that tore open her stern. Superior internal compartmentalization meant she took three minutes to sink aft and nearly an hour to flood forward, allowing her entire crew to escape safely. The wreck was raised in 1868 and scrapped.
Vessel
- 1864
- Union Iron Works (subcontracted by James B. Eads)
- Carondelet, Missouri
- Iron
- 229 ft
- 56 ft
- 1300
- Steam, twin screw
- United States Navy
Loss
- March 28, 1865
- Enemy action
- Blakely River, near Spanish Fort, Alabama
- Blakely River, Mobile Bay
- Not established
- Not established
- 130
- 0
- Lt. Cmdr. James H. Gillis
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Raised in 1868 and broken up for scrap used in a St. Louis bridge.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 30.65° N 87.93° W
- General area only
- Spanish Fort, Alabama
General area only: coordinate of the mouth of the Blakeley (Blakely) River near Spanish Fort, the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS)
Build, service, loss, and salvage details.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Blakeley River
coordinate of the named place of loss (mouth of Blakeley River, citing USGS GNIS)
