Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Vesuvius (II)
ex
 USS Saint Mary (1846)

Bomb Brig:
  • Built in 1845 as the coastal cargoman Saint Mary at Williamsburg, N.Y.
  • Launched, date unknown
  • Acquired by the Navy at New York City in 1846 for use with the blockading squadrons in the Gulf of Mexico
  • Commissioned, USS Saint Mary in 1846
  • Records of the ship's service are sketchy at best, especially for her early service in the Navy. However, reports indicate that she apparently operated as Vesuvius, off Vera Cruz, although one source dates her renaming as occurring on 5 January 1847
  • In August of 1846, after many members of her crew contracted yellow fever while she was stationed off Vera Cruz, Vesuvius put into Bermuda en route north for recuperation
  • Probably refitted at New York, as records indicate that, under the command of CDR. George A. Magruder
  • Vesuvius departed New York towards the end of the winter 1846-1847, arriving at Laguna del Carmen, Mexico, 7 March 1847, for blockade duty
  • The Bomb Brig was assigned to the port of Laguna. At this juncture, COMO. Perry, commanding the Gulf Squadron, appointed Magruder the military governor of the town
  • The majority of time spent by Vesuvius on the Gulf station was spent at Laguna, where she logged the shipping movements of vessels both inside and outside of the harbor
  • In the spring of 1847, when COMO. Perry launched his expedition against Tuxpan, Vesuvius was withdrawn temporarily from Laguna to support the operation
  • The assault on the Mexican defensive works was launched by a 1500-man landing force drawn from the ships' crews
  • Twenty-five officers and men from Vesuvius, led by CDR. Magruder, took part in this action and were present when the stars and stripes were raised over the captured city
  • Twelve days later, Perry launched an all-out assault against Tabasco, the last remaining large port commanded by the Mexicans on the Gulf coast
  • After leaving guardships at Coazacoalcos and Tuxpan, Perry arrived off Frontera, 14 June 1847, at the mouth of the river which led to Tabasco
  • Perry and his squadron commenced the passage up the tortuous channels. At "Devil's Bend," concealed Mexican sharpshooters opened fire from the dense chaparral along the riverbank
  • Perry's ships including Vesuvius, returned the fire; Vesuvius' 10-inch mortar shells dispersed the snipers; thus allowing the squadron to continue its way upriver
  • At six in the evening, the squadron anchored for the night and arranged barricades about the decks to protect the American Sailors against sniper fire
  • During the night, Mexican forces placed obstructions in the only navigable channel
  • Meanwhile, landing parties from Perry's ships stealthily scaled the steep cliffs which rose from the river. They then rushed the works in a sudden assault which surprised the Mexican troops and put them to flight
  • During the attack, the gunboats forced their way up the river under the command of LT. David D. Porter of Civil War fame
  • Fort Iturbide, mounting six guns, soon fell to a landing force commanded by LT. Porter, thus clearing the final obstacle from the road to Tabasco
  • Vesuvius remained in the Gulf of Mexico, at Laguna, through the end of the year 1847
  • Under the command of LT. S. W. Godon, the brig captured American schooner Wasp, 10 October 1847, which was engaged in illicit trading, and later captured four bungos
  • Vesuvius moved to Camneache, 8 March 1848, and then back to Laguna late in April
  • She operated there until sailing north in mid-summer
  • She arrived at Norfolk, 1 August and was decommissioned and sold there the following October
  • Final Disposition, fate unknown Tippecanoe, a Canonicus-class monitor, was renamed Vesuvius on 15 June 1869 and subsequently renamed Wyandotte (q.v.) on 10 August 1869.
    Specifications:
    Displacement 239t.
    Length 97'
    Beam 26'
    Depth of Hold 10'
    Draft forward 9'8", aft 11'4"
    Speed unknown
    Complement unknown
    Armament
    one 10" Mortar
    Propulsion sail
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 SizeImage Description Contributed
    By
    There are no images of Vesuvius (II) available at NavSource
    Vesuvius (II)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Old Navy" Steam and Sail Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    Last Updated 12 August 2022