The USS Huron

Built a decade after the Civil War, the USS Huron was constructed during a period of transition between the old and new navy. The Huron and her two sisterships were the last American naval vessels to be built of iron rather than steel and to be equipped with sails to supplement their steam engines.

During her brief career (1875-1877), the Huron visited ports in Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, Key West, Mobile, Charleston, Norfolk, Boston, New York, and Washington, DC However, it was the tragedy of the Huron's sinking on November 24, 1877, that brought the ship to national attention.

Specifications:

Built: Chester, Pennsylvania, 1875
Length: 175 feet
Beam: 32 feet
Draft: 13 feet
Crew: 16 officers, 118 enlisted men
Power: A compound steam engine with five coal-burning boilers and a 12-foot-diameter propeller. The Huron also had three mast equipped with sails.
Armaments:
11-inch Dahlgren smoothbore cannon(1)
9-inch Dahlgren smoothbore cannon (2)
60-pounder Parrot rifle (1)
12-pounder Dahlgren boat howitzer (1)
50-caliber Gatling gun (1)

The Loss of the USS Huron

The Huron left Hampton Roads, Virginia, on Friday, November 23, 1877. She was headed for Havana, Cuba, to survey the surrounding coast.

On her first night out to sea, the ship encountered a heavy storm blowing from the southeast. The storm combined with a small error in the ship's compass to cause the Huron to run aground off Nags Head at 1:30 a.m., November 24, 1877.

Even though the Huron was only 200 yards from the beach, the heavy surf, strong currents, and cold temperature prevented most of the crew members from attempting the swim to shore. Most of the crew tried to remain on the ship in the hope that help would arrive. However, no one came to the aid of the sailors: lifesaving stations had been closed until December. The elements eventually took their toll on the storm battered men. Many lost their strength and were washed overboard by waves. One huge wave swept at least twelve sailors away at one time. In all, ninety-eight men lost their lives during the night.

The federal government was severely criticized for its failure to provide adequate funding for the United States Lifesaving Service. Two months after the wreck of the Huron, the steamship Metropolis ran aground twenty-three miles to the north, with the loss of eighty-five lives. These two disasters prompted Congress to appropriate funding to build additional lifesaving stations along the North Carolina coast and increase their months of operation.

(From HERE)

~Masato