AH-WR-0118

USS Patapsco

Monitor · United States · Lost 1865 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Union ironclad monitor sank in seconds after striking a mine in Charleston Harbor, killing most of her crew.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Patapsco was a Passaic-class monitor that served in the Union blockade and bombardment operations against Charleston. On January 18, 1865, while on picket duty helping clear harbor obstructions, she struck a Confederate torpedo and sank within moments. Fifty-seven of her sixty-two crew were killed, making it one of the deadliest single losses suffered by a Union monitor during the war.

Vessel

Built: 1862
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Iron
Length: 200 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: January 18, 1865
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Water: Charleston Harbor
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 62
Lives lost: 57
Master: Lieutenant Commander Stephen P. Quackenbush

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Wreck is U.S. government property administered by the Naval History and Heritage Command

Position

Coordinates: 32.75° N 79.85° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A crowd-sourced wreck-mapping site gives this position for the USS Patapsco mine-loss site near Sullivan's Island in Charleston Harbor; SCIAA researchers confirm the wreck was surveyed nearby but this specific numeric position is not from a government publication reviewed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)

The wreck's present location and condition are not established in the sources reviewed.

Naval History and Heritage Command
Service history, loss event, cause, and casualty figures.
South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
Context on Civil War naval wrecks in South Carolina waters.
Wikimapia USS Patapsco (wreck) entry
wreck position