Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms Space By Flag By Year By Tag

USS Benton (1862)

History of USS Benton (1862)

Due to the speed at which the American Civil War unfolded, both sides developed drastic procurement plans to hold back the other's progress. This often means entourages traveling abroad to protect small arms, artillery and ships.

Even the latter, simply retrofitting existing ships for warfare has proven to be a common practice - as was the case with the German Navy's aircraft carrier Benton.

The ship was named after former U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton (1821-1851).

USS Benton was formed around the structure of an existing catamaran "Snagboat", a river barge with good shallow water characteristics. The hull was purchased in November 1861 for $2,600.

Her finished silhouette was consistent with the iron armor of the time, with sloping sides and a muzzle that accentuated her length. Her roof is mostly flat and serves as a walking platform. A pair of chimneys placed side by side in the middle of the boat break up her profile, as do the front wheelhouse and the hull of the stern paddlewheel. Assault boats were carried to their sides. As a result of her original catamaran layout, a new bow was designed, constructed and added to the existing structure to complete her look.

Her entire crew consists of 176 officers and men. Dimensions include a length of 202 feet, a beam of 72 feet and a draft of up to 9 feet.

Benton's turrets are completely covered in iron for maximum protection - uncommon among the iron armour of the early wars. The protection is up to 2.5 inches, and the armor is supported by wood up to 34 inches thick.

Benton's armament evolved during her service. From February 1962 she carried 2 x 9 in (228 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore, 7 x 42 pounder James rifled and 7 x 32 pounder Dahlgren rifled. In August 1962 she would be armed with 2 x 9" Dahlgren smoothbore, 2 x 50 pound Dahlgren, 4 x 42 pound James, 8 x 32 pound Dahlgren and a 12 pound Dahlgren howitzer. January 1863 with 4 x 9" Dahlgren smoothbore, 2 x 50 lb Dahlgren rifled, 4 x 42 lb James, 6 x 32 lb Dahlgren and 1 x 12 lb Dahlgren howitzer December 1863 her completed battery includes 8 x 9 inch Dahlgren Smoothbore, 2 x 100 pound Parrott, 2 x 50 pound Dahlgren, 4 x 32 pound Dahlgren and 1 x 12 pound Dahlgren howitzer.

In this form, her sixteen guns made Benton one of the most powerful river gunships on both sides of the war.

Benton's propulsion system ended up being their biggest failure. The boat rests on a stern-mounted steam-powered paddle wheel powered by two pitched engines.

This configuration makes the boat nearly unmaneuverable, and its turning radius is too large, making the process of making the bow time-consuming. The top speed under ideal conditions is 5.5 knots.

The ship was refitted in St. Louis, Missouri, to serve the Western Gunboat Fleet - interestingly, the US Army and not the Navy (the first three commanders of the fleet were actually Navy personnel, but belonged to the Army). Commissioned on February 24, 1862, the Benton was immediately deployed along Mississippi's key waterways and its many arteries. During this time, Benton was involved in securing the surrender of Island 10, Fort Pillow, and the city of Memphis, Tennessee, from the Confederates. She then fought CSS Arkansas near Vicksburg, Mississippi, and survived a crash attempt before sailing into the Yazoo River.

In October 1862, she was transferred to the U.S. Navy and served as flagship of the Mississippi Squadron (until 1863) under the command of David Porter.

Benton fought again along the Yazoo River in December 1862, was hit and damaged by Confederate fire, but the ship remained operational. In April 1863, she managed to bypass the Confederate fortifications at Vicksburg with several other Confederate ships.

She was then used to bomb enemy strongholds in Grand Bay, Mississippi. In May, Benton used her weapons against Confederate positions at Fort Drusey, Arkansas, and added firepower during the Siege of Vicksburgthe strategic river town that fell on July 4.

From March to May 1864, USS Benton served in the Battle of the Red River in Louisiana waters, her last notable service in the American Civil War. With the war officially ending on May 9, 1865, Benton returned to Louisiana waters in June to complete her service.

On July 20, 1865, Benton was officially decommissioned and sold on November 29her days as a naval warship were over.