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USS Keokuk

History of USS Aurora

The USS Keokuk was an all-iron battery armor developed for the Union Navy during the American Civil War (1861-1865), the first of its kind (very little wood was used in its construction). In March 1862, as the war between the states intensified, she was commissioned. She was built by the New York shipyard Charles W. Whitney, launched on December 6, 1862, and officially commissioned in March 1863.

It was named in honor of the city of Keokuk, Iowa (originally would be called "Moodna"). if under construction).

When completed, the Keokuk has a displacement of 688 tons (short), a length of 159.5 feet, a beam of 36 feet, and a draft of 8.5 feet. Internally, she had a crew of 92 and carried two 250-horsepower two-cylinder steam engines, each driving a pair of screws below the waterline. The maximum possible speed is nine knots. Armament consisted of only 2 x 11 in (280 mm) Dahlgren smoothbore guns, each unit mounted in separate turrets fore and aft amidships, each receiving three muzzles.

Armor protection in some places on the ship reaches nearly six inches. Shape: The boat has a tapered hull design with a prominent tamper in the bow and a propeller in the stern. Midship is a single pipe surrounded by a pair of turrets.

Keokuk's first (and last) call to action was part of the Combined Blockade/Assault Force in Charleston, South Carolina. The battle took place on April 7, 1863, and is known as the First Battle of Charleston. The Confederates had favorable positions at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, and the battery coupled with the tide made it difficult for the crew to manage the warship.

USS Keokuk managed to get within 600 yards of Fort Sumter, which ultimately resulted in her unofficial death.

The warship was hit by approximately 90 shells fired from Confederate positions at Fort Sumter and Sullivan Island. Despite her steel structure, the warship was virtually powerless against such a barrage and retreated under force. By the next morning, the ironclads had absorbed so much water that they eventually sank off the coast of Maurice Island (8 April 1863).

The now-abandoned warship was later visited by Confederate forces, who recovered her guns and relocated them elsewhere - including at Fort Sumter itself.

The USS Keokuk was one of the shortest serving ships of the American Civil War, serving from March 1863 to April of that year. This ended the ironclad career of this experimental battery.