Civil War Ships on Cony Beach

Civil War Ships on Cony Beach. Civil War Ships Burned. , What do the names MINNESOTA, VERMONT, WABASH, FRANKLIN, and RICHMOND have in common? These names are the five Civil War ships that were burned, between 1901 and 1920, at Cony Beach for the metal they contained. Each ship was estimated to have several hundred tons of metal such as copper, brass, and iron in its hull. During the Civil War no fewer than 14 men from Eastport served on four of these wooden vessels., All that remain now of these once proud warships of the Union Navy are their ashes along with debris scattered over a wide area of rocky beach and mud flats. Four of the ships were steam-powered, single screw propeller vessels and used their engines in emergencies or when there was no wind. Only the VERMONT, a 74-gun ship of the line, used only her sails for power., All of the ships burned on Cony Beach had wooden spiral designs decorating their bows. The stern area of each vessel had distinct ornamental carvings such as the shield of the United States, gold eagle(8) or stars surrounded by elaborate wooden scroll work. This elegant stern decoration served two purposes: to beautify the ship and to identify it., The most frequently asked question about these vessels is, "Why were they brought here? The answer is all around you. Because of the extreme tides that surround Eastport, the ships could be placed high on the beach when the tide was in and taken apart as the tide receded and before it returned. Before the old warships were torched, many items such as doors, cabinets, furniture, windows, oil lanterns, railings, and staircases were sold to people in the area. Some of these pieces are still in local homes. A set of stairs from the U.S.S. WABASH became the front stairs of the Mabee house on Washington Street. Other people sold ornaments and jewelry made from the copper and brass nails they bought from the salvagers or picked up from the beach, while others used the wood from the warships to burn in their fireplaces., The panels before you serve as a memorial to the five Union warships and to all of the men who served on them during one of our nation's darkest periods, the Civil War., [photo captions ccw from top right:] , U.S.S. Wabash tied up at Cony Beach 1913., U.S.S. Wabash at Cony Beach main deck view stern to bow 1913, U.S.S. Wabash after being burned at Cony Beach 1913., U.S.S. Franklin burning on Cony Beach 1916, U.S.S. Wabash housed over as a receiving ship at Boston Navy Yard after 1875., U.S.S. Vermont housed over as a receiving ship at New York Navy Yard about 1900., U.S.S. Richmond and Franklin housed over as receiving ships at Norfolk Navy Yard early 1900’s