AH-WR-1808

USS Violet

Steam Tug · United States · Lost 1864 · The Outer Banks

Built as Martha, the Navy tug Violet was deliberately destroyed after grounding at Cape Fear’s Western Bar in August 1864.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built as the wooden screw tug Martha in 1862, Violet was purchased by the United States Navy that December and commissioned on January 29, 1863. She served the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron as both tug and blockader, and later guarded the ironclad Roanoke near Newport News. An earlier December 1863 grounding was followed by refloating and repairs. On the night of August 7, 1864, she grounded near the Western Bar at Cape Fear and could not be freed. Her captain and crew deliberately exploded the magazine the following morning to prevent capture.

Vessel

Built: 1862
Builder: Lawrence and Foulkes
Yard: Williamsburgh, New York (Brooklyn)
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: 19.75 ft
Tonnage: 166 tons (basis unspecified)
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: United States Navy; originally Boyle and Brandon

Loss

Date: August 8, 1864
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Western Bar, Cape Fear River entrance, North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean — Cape Fear River entrance
Voyage: Not established
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: Cape Fear, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

No verified modern wreck position or present-day depth established in the reviewed sources.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (92/100)

Precise wreck position, present condition and casualty totals are unconfirmed; sources disagree on length.

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships — Violet I (Haze Gray/LostHistory transcription)
Complete attributed DANFS narrative: construction, purchase, commissioning, service, recovered 1863 grounding and August 7–8, 1864 destruction sequence; not a live Navy-site retrieval.
The Mariners’ Museum — Steam Tug Martha — CL8724
Full institutional vessel narrative: builder, 1862 construction, machinery, dimensions, purchase, commissioning and August 7/8 final loss; painting accession not a vessel identifier.