USS Estrella facts for kids
.jpg)
USS Estrella (1862–1867) Painting depicting Estrella off the Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida, c. 1866–1867.
|
|
Quick facts for kids History |
|
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
|
| Name | Estrella |
| Owner | Magdalena Steam Navigation Company, London |
| Builder | Samuda Brothers, Blackwall, London |
| Launched | 20 August 1853 |
| Completed | October 1853 |
| Fate | Sold 1862 |
  United States |
|
| Name | USS Estrella |
| Acquired | 1862 |
| Commissioned | c. October 1862 |
| Decommissioned |
|
| Fate | Sold, 9 October 1867 |
 United States, United Kingdom |
|
| Name |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Out of service | 1870 |
| Fate | Sank in Savanna-la-Mar port, 21 May 1873 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | iron steamship |
| Tonnage | 576 GRT |
| Displacement | 438 tons |
| Length | 176 ft (54 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft (8 m) |
| Draught | 5 ft (2 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Armament |
|
The Estrella was a paddle steamship built in London in 1853. She was first used for trade in what is now Colombia. In 1862, she was sold to owners in the United States.
She became a transport ship for the Union Army for a short time. Then, the Union Navy bought her. She served as the armed ship USS Estrella during the American Civil War. She carried three heavy guns and two smaller guns called howitzers. These were used to fire at targets on land.
After the war, in 1867, Estrella went back to being a trading ship. She sailed under the American flag and later as the British ship Twinkling Star. She operated in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1870, she was badly damaged in Jamaica. She later sank in a port in 1873.
Contents
Building the Estrella
The iron side-wheel paddle steamer Estrella was built by Samuda Brothers. This shipyard was in Blackwall, London, on the River Thames. She was launched on August 20, 1853.
The ship was designed to sail in shallow water, only about 5 feet deep. This was perfect for her job of moving goods along rivers and coasts. She was about 176 feet long and 26 feet wide. Her total weight was 576 tons. When she was used by the United States Navy, her weight was 438 tons.
Estrella could carry between 60 and 90 passengers. She was powered by a special two-cylinder steam engine. This engine made 120 horsepower. During her tests on October 27, 1853, she sailed at an average speed of 12 miles per hour. Two smaller ships, Anita and Isabel, were also built for the same company. They were meant for passenger travel on the Magdalena River in Colombia.
Early Trading Journeys
Estrella and Anita left the Thames River together on November 20, 1853. Estrella arrived at Savanilla, a main seaport in Colombia, on January 17, 1854. The ships were ready for service.
However, a revolution had started in Bogota, which meant fewer people needed river transport. Still, Estrella made a good trip from Santa Marta to Mompox and Magangué. She was later hired by General Mosquera to carry weapons up the river.
On August 1, 1855, she hit a rock and sank in the Magdalena River near Conejo. This happened while she was on her way to Honda, Tolima. Her passengers and crew were safe. Even though she was reported as lost, she was later brought back up and fixed.
In May 1856, the Magdalena Steam Navigation Company decided they weren't making enough money. They planned to sell their three ships: Estrella, Anita, and Isabel. These ships had been sailing under the British flag. They tried to sell them in Barranquilla in September.
Estrella and Anita were still unsold, so they sailed for England on December 23. But after only two hours, Anita started leaking badly and began to sink in a storm. About three hours later, Anita's boiler exploded, and she sank. Half of her 24 crew members were lost. Estrella could not help because of the bad weather. She returned to Santa Marta.
At Santa Marta, it was found that Estrella's deck was bent. This was likely from her earlier sinking and hitting the river bottom many times. She was not safe to sail. Her small boats were also in bad shape. Experts said she should not leave the coast until May 1857, when the weather would be better. They also said she needed more engineers.
In December 1861, Estrella was still in Colombia. She offered a safe place for some people from Santa Marta during the Colombian Civil War. In 1862, a company from New York bought the ship. She arrived in New York on May 28 after a nine-day trip. During this trip, she hit a sunken ship. This damaged her right paddle wheel, so she finished the trip using only one.
She was then registered in New York as an American ship. The US Army hired her as the United States Transport Estrella starting July 7, 1862. They paid US$400 per day for her use.
Estrella was moved from the Army to the Navy in late 1862. She officially joined the Navy before the end of October. Lieutenant Commander A. P. Cooke was her captain.
She was armed with three heavy guns: two 32-pounders and one 30-pounder rifle gun. She also had two 24-pounder howitzers. These weapons made her very useful for stopping enemy ships and firing at targets on land.
Estrella was part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. She served throughout the American Civil War near Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana. She also patrolled along the Texas coast and up rivers that flowed into the Gulf of Mexico.
In November 1862, she fought against the Confederate ship CSS J. A. Cotton and Confederate shore batteries. These battles took place along the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Teche.
Her captain, A. P. Cooke, was in charge of the ships in Berwick Bay. Estrella led the attack on the Confederate ship CSS Queen of the West on April 14, 1863. Union gunfire set the Confederate ship on fire. After 90 of her crew were saved, the ship exploded.
Four days later, Cooke led his ships up the Atchafalaya River again. They attacked the batteries at Butte La Rose, Louisiana. The Union forces captured the batteries without damage. They also took 60 soldiers and many supplies. The Union Army quickly sent soldiers to hold the town. This was another important place won by the Union Navy.
From May 3 to 6, 1863, Estrella sailed up the Red River. She joined the attack on Fort De Russy. In June and July, she helped in the attacks on Port Hudson, Louisiana. These attacks led to Port Hudson falling to the Union on July 9. Many sailors from Estrella who died in these attacks were buried at Chalmette National Cemetery.
Other important events for Estrella included capturing the ship Julia A. Hodges. This happened in Matagorda Bay, Texas, on April 6, 1864. She also played a key role in the attacks on Fort Powell in Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. These attacks happened at the same time as the battle of Mobile Bay.
After being repaired in New Orleans in early 1865, Estrella became the main ship, or flagship, of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. She continued to patrol the Gulf of Mexico until June 30, 1867. Then, she sailed to the New York Navy Yard. Estrella was taken out of service there on July 16, 1867. She was sold on October 9, 1867.
Back to Trading
After being sold by the Navy, Estrella was bought again for commercial use. In 1868, she was owned by Henry Winn in New York. In March 1868, she was described as an "American" steamer. She was reported to be in bad shape in Kingston, Jamaica. Later that year, she was owned by Lamb & Co from Saint Thomas.
On December 21, 1868, the ship Estrella was reported wrecked. This happened in the Los Roques archipelago while she was traveling from Saint Thomas to other ports. She was carrying passengers, mail, and general goods. The passengers and crew survived for five days on an uninhabited island. They were rescued on December 27 by a Venezuelan war steamer.
After being saved, she was taken to Jamaica. On October 4, 1869, she was registered as a British ship in Kingston. Her new owner was Ralph Nirnes, a local. She was renamed Twinkling Star. Her new measurements were 492 tons and she was 179.7 feet long.
Soon after, on November 27, while sailing from Cap-Haïtien to Port au Prince, Twinkling Star developed a crack below the water line. She began to take on water. There was a lot of panic, and five passengers, including the American Consul in Jamaica, got into a boat and reached Môle-Saint-Nicolas, Haiti. The ship itself was also safely brought to port later.
A year later, on November 30, 1870, Twinkling Star sailed from Kingston to New Orleans. But she met very bad weather. She had to stop at Savanna-la-Mar because her boiler was damaged, her hull was leaking, her sails were gone, and a boat was broken. When she arrived, she ran aground, and some of her cargo had to be thrown overboard. By December 24, she had been inspected, declared too damaged, and ordered to be sold. She stayed tied up at Savanna-la-Mar until May 21, 1873, when she finally sank in 10 feet of water.
See also
