In the Second Book of Shmuel (Samuel), 22nd chapter, 5th through the 19th verses, translated from the original in Hebrew and published by the Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, Israel, can perhaps aptly describe the fate of the crew and all other U.S.sailors who died defending their county:
"When the waves of death compassed me / the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; / the bonds of She'ol encircled me; / the snares of death took me by surprise; / in my distress I called upon the Lord, / and cried to my G-D: / and he heard my voice out of his temple, / and my cry entered into his ears. / Then the earth shook and trembled; /the foundations of heaven moved / and shook because of his anger /...the heavy mass of waters, and thick clouds of the skies /... And the channels of the sea appeared, / the foundations of the world were laid bare, / at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast at the breath of his nostrils. / He sent from above, he took me; / he drew me out of many waters; / he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. / They surprised me in the day of my calamity: / but the Lord was my stay..."
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145k | "Destruction of the Monitor Tecumseh by a Rebel Torpedo, in Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864." Line engraving, after a sketch by Robert Weir, published in "Harper's Weekly", 10 September 1864, depicting the loss of Tecumseh during the Battle of Mobile Bay. | U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. USNHC # NH 61473. | |
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81k | "Battle of Mobile Bay ... Passing Fort Morgan and the Torpedoes". Print after an artwork by J.O. Davidson, 1886, depicting the Union and Confederate squadrons at the moment that Tecumseh sank after striking a mine ("torpedo"). Confederate ships (left foreground) are Morgan, Gaines and Tennessee. Union monitors visible astern of Tecumseh are Manhattan and Winnebago. Brooklyn is leading the outer line of Union warships, immediately followed by Hartford. | Courtesy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. USNHC # NH 42396. | |
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105k | "Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864". Reproduction of an 1864 pen & ink drawing by George S. Waterman, C.S.N., depicting the action as seen from above and inside the entrance to Mobile Bay. Confederate ships present are (as identified on the drawing): Selma, Morgan, Gaines (shown twice, in the battle line, and beached off Fort Morgan after the battle) and Tennessee. Union monitors shown are (from the front of the line): Tecumseh (sinking after striking a mine), Manhattan, Winnebago and Chickasaw. The leading two steam sloops in the Union line are Brooklyn and Hartford. Small diagram in the lower right represents the various efforts by Union ships to ram the Tennessee later in the action. | Courtesy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. USNHC # NH 42392. | |
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146k | "Rescuing the Crew of the Monitor Tecumseh." Artwork by Bacon, published in "Deeds of Valor", Volume II, page 65, by the Perrien-Keydel Company, Detroit, 1907. It depicts Federal sailors in boats rescuing survivors of Tecumseh off Fort Morgan, Alabama, as the Battle of Mobile Bay rages around them. | U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. USNHC # NH 79925. | |
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277k | "Entrance of Rear Admiral Farragut in to Mobile Bay. August 5th 1864" Chart of the action, prepared by RAdm. D.G. Farragut, Washington, D.C., March 1st, 1865. "Explanation of Diagram from the five stand points of the Mobile fight." (printed in the lower left): "No.1. Ships lashed together and running in from Sea, and the monitors running out of "Monitor Bay" to take their station inside or eastward of the line." "No.2. Running up the channel in line of battle, and engaging 'Fort Morgan' leading ship Brooklyn encounters what she supposes to be 'torpedoes' monitor 'Tecumseh' is struck by one and sinks; Brooklyn backs astern causing confusion; Flag Ship takes the lead and passes up and engages the ram Tennessee and the gun boats of the enemy." "No.3. Running fight with the enemy's fleet which ends in the capture of one, destruction of another, and the ram and one gun boat take shelter again under Fort Morgan." "No.4. Fleet passes up and are in the act of anchoring when the ram Tennessee is seen coming out to attack them" "No.5. Shows the manner the attack was made by the fleet upon the ram by ramming her in succession and keeping up a constant fire upon her at the same time." "The points of contact are shown by the sketch in the north east corner of the plate." "De Kraft's flotilla bombarding Fort Powell." (in upper left of the chart). Ships are (as numbered in "Reference" list at left): 1. Tecumseh; 2. Manhattan; 3. Winnebago; 4. Chickasaw; 5. Brooklyn; 6. Octorara; 7. Hartford, Flag Ship; 8. Metacomet; 9. Richmond; 10. Port Royal; 11. Lackawanna; 12. Seminole; 13. Admiral's barge Loyal; 14. Monongahela; 15. Kennebec; 16. Ossipee; 17. Itaska; 18. Oneida; 19. Galena. | Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. USNHC # NH 83136. | |
 | 376k | A guest studies a painting depicting the history of battleships. The artwork was painted by George Skybeck and presented to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association during their annual banquet at Honolulu, Hawaii, on 8 Dec 1991. | USN photo # DN-SC-92-05391, by PHC Carolyn Harris, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil. | |
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95k | People watch from the beach as the guided missile cruiser Mobile Bay (CG 53) sails by on its commissioning day, 16 Feb 1987. The Mobile Bay is also conducting memorial services onboard in commemoration of the sinking of the Union ironclad ship Tecumseh lost during the Civil War battle of Mobile Bay. | USN photo # DN-ST-88-02646 by PHC C. Duvall, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil. Photo added 10/12/06. | |
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable To This Ship
Additional Resources
Hazegray & Underway Battleship Pages By Andrew Toppan.
Monitor National Marine Santuary, NOAA.
CambrianFoundation.org USS Monitor, The Sinking.
Tour the Wreck of the Monitor.
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