Wilmington's Civil War Ironclads

Wilmington's Civil War Ironclads. . , Harlan and Hollingsworth , Established in 1836, the Wilmington manufacturing firm of Harlan and Hollingsworth led the nation in the construction of iron-hulled ships prior to the Civil War and pioneered many iron fabrication and shipbuilding techniques. When the U.S. Navy suddenly needed fleets of new ironclad warships to combat the Confederacy during the Civil War, it was no surprise that they called on Harlan and Hollingsworth., Wilmington's Three Monitor Ironclads – USS Patapsco, USS Saugus, and USS Napa , Harlan and Hollingsworth built three monitor-type warships for the U.S. Navy, USS Patapsco, an upgraded monitor of the Passaic-class, was launched in Wilmington on September 27, 1862. USS Saugus, a Canonicus-class monitor and the first type to incorporate design improvements based on battle experience, was launched on December 16, 1863. USS Napa, a light draft monitor of the Casco-class was launched on November 26, 1864. Patapsco and Saugus both played pivotal roles in the U.S. Civil War, but Napa was converted to a "torpedo vessel" late in the war and never saw action., Patapsco served with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and participated in the bombardments of Confederate Forts McAllister, Wagner, and Sumter. While clearing Charleston Harbor of obstructions on January 15, 1865, Patapsco struck a Confederate mine and sank with a heavy loss of life. Saugus served with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, mostly on Virginia's James River, and participated in the capture of Fort Fisher, the "Gibraltar of the South," which guarded the approach to Wilmington, North Carolina. After the fall of Richmond, Virginia, Saugus transferred back to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and served as a temporary jail to incarcerate some of the suspected conspirators in the assassination of President Lincoln.