Contemporaneous wood engraving of Star of the West
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History | |
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Owner |
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Operator | U.S. Department of War (1861–) |
Builder | Jeremiah Simonson |
Launched | 17 June 1852 |
Fate | Sunk |
General characteristics | |
Type | Steamship |
Tonnage | 1,172 tons |
Length | 228.3 ft (69.6 m) |
Beam | 32.7 ft (10.0 m) |
Propulsion | Paddlewheels |
Star of the West was an American merchant steamship that was launched in 1852 and scuttled by Confederate forces in 1863. In January 1861, the ship was hired by the government of the United States to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the U.S. military garrison of Fort Sumter. A battery on Morris Island, South Carolina handled by cadets from the South Carolina Military Academy (now The Citadel) fired upon the ship, considered by some scholars to have been effectively the first shots fired in the American Civil War.[1][2]
The ship was later captured by Confederate forces, then used for several purposes including as a hospital ship and a blockade runner, and finally scuttled in defense of Vicksburg in 1863.