Uss Narcissus: the Role of the Tugboat in the American Civil War
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USS NARCISSUS: THE ROLE OF THE TUGBOAT IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR by Melissa Nicole Tumbleson Morris B.A., University of Florida, 2005 A thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences The University of West Florida In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts 2011 © 2011 Melissa Nicole Tumbleson Morris The thesis of Melissa Nicole Tumbleson Morris is approved: ____________________________________________ _________________ Della A. Scott-Ireton, Ph.D., Committee Member Date ____________________________________________ _________________ Gregory D. Cook, M.A., Committee Member Date ____________________________________________ _________________ John R. Bratten, Ph.D., Committee Chair Date Accepted for the Department/Division: ____________________________________________ _________________ John R. Bratten, Ph.D., Chair Date Accepted for the University: ____________________________________________ _________________ Richard S. Podemski, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The successful completion of this thesis is the direct result of the input, participation, and assistance of numerous institutions, volunteers, and most importantly, my friends and family. First and foremost, to John W. Morris III who provided me with an internship as an undergraduate and encouraged me to go to graduate school and "keep my chin up" along the way. It was his invitation to be a part of the Tampa Bay Historical Shipwreck Project in 2006 that enabled me to participate in the fieldwork required for the completion of this thesis. Thanks to the United States Navy and Dr. Robert Neyland for allowing me to write my thesis about USS Narcissus. To my committee members: Greg Cook, who listened for hours as I expressed frustration and excitement about possible theoretical positions and always provided insight and inspiration; Dr. Della Scott-Ireton, who always welcomed my emails and visits with open arms, whose editing skills were invaluable, and who always found time to buy my "friend" a drink; Dr. John Bratten, thank you for your encouragement and support. The fieldwork conducted on Narcissus and the resulting archaeological information would not have not been possible without the assistance of a number of institutions. Thanks to the Florida Division of Historical Resources for assisting with the funding of this project. To The Florida Aquarium staff and volunteers thanks for your hard work and dedication. Special thanks goes to Casey Coy and Mike Terrell who managed all of the fieldwork dive operations, but more importantly, acted as interpreters iv between archaeologists, biologists, and volunteers. Your continued support, humor, and encouragement were invaluable. Thanks also to Dr. Gordon P. Watts and Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc. for your expertise, insight, and humor. To The Scripps Research Institute and John Kloske for volunteering time to conduct remote sensing on the site and catch a glimpse of the elusive goliath grouper. My historical research would have been amiss without the help of Danny Redmond. Danny’s distant relative was a firemen who died when USS Narcissus’ was lost. His determination to learn about his family history and uncover the story of Narcissus enabled us to become friends and share information throughout my thesis writing process. Thank you, Danny. Thanks also to Howard B. Tower Jr. who shared his personal files with me. Without his assistance, much of the information about the salvage that occurred on Narcissus would have fallen off the pages of history. The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the untiring support of my friends and family. To Granny and Horace, who provided a house of refuge with hot, homemade meals and a couple extra bucks for a poor, drained, graduate student. To Mom, who always providing a shoulder to cry on and support despite my crazy desire to dive in strange places. To Dad and Miriam, thanks for always lending your ears and providing advice even when I did not want to hear it. Dad, it was your interest in history that influenced my passion and ultimately led me down this path. To Lisa, whose friendship and expertise in finding stumbling-distance watering holes and surprising me with special chocolate treats when I needed them most. You made my research time enjoyable and memorable. Thanks to Larry for taking time away from v Sarah and little Liam to help me with my final edits. My weightiest debt, however, is owed to the man who kept me together body and soul. My husband Billy listened to all my woes and frustrations with love and understanding. He kept the faith when I did not. Most importantly, he read my chapters and told me they were perfect, and then handed me proofed copies highlighting all their flaws. I could not have done this without him, or as well. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER I. TAKING STEAM: THE EVOLUTION OF STEAM TUGBOATS ...............................................................6 A. The ACW .................................................................................14 B. An Analysis of Tugboats Purchased During the Civil War .....22 CHAPTER II. HISTORY OF USS NARCISSUS ..................................................28 A. Vessel History of USS Narcissus ............................................29 1. Battle of Mobile Bay ..........................................................42 2. Explosion............................................................................45 3. Final Voyage ......................................................................50 CHAPTER III. HISTORY OF THE SITE OF USS NARCISSUS: SALVAGE TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION ............................57 A. Previous Archaeology ..............................................................62 B. Archaeology of USS Narcissus ...............................................63 1. Archaeological Research Design .......................................66 2. Archaeological Methodology .............................................66 3. Boiler..................................................................................69 4. Engine ................................................................................73 5. Stern Assembly ...................................................................76 6. Buried Hull Structure .........................................................78 C. Recommendations for Future Research ...................................79 CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS .............................................80 A. Conclusion ...............................................................................92 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................95 vii APPENDIXES .................................................................................................................108 A. Table of Tugboats Purchased by the Union Navy between 1861 and 1865 .........................................................109 B. Howard B. Tower Jr., Personal Communication Permission Form ....................................................................121 C. List of Artifacts Recovered from USS Narcissus between 1983 and 1988 .........................................................123 D. The Florida Aquarium Copyright Permission Letter .............126 E. John W. Morris III Copyright Permission Letter ...................129 viii LIST OF FIGURES 1. Graph showing tugboats purchased by the United States Navy between 1861 and 1865. Tug differentiation by propulsion .........................................................24 2. 1864 Map, battle of Mobile Bay. USS Narcissus can be seen in the bottom left hand corner near Fort Powell .................................................................................44 3. The tug USS Althea shown here shortly after completion and before entering naval service, circa 1863 ........................................................................................51 4. Map of site location, Tampa Bay, Florida .............................................................65 5. Site plan of USS Narcissus: Propeller, Stern Assembly, Shaft and Shaft log, Pillow block and cap, Engine, Centerline drift pins, Boiler piece A, Scaling port, Boiler piece B, Boiler piece C, and Concreated sheaves. The site is littered with fragmented boiler plate and disarticulated hull timbers with copper alloy sheathing still attached. .....................................................................68 6. 3D image of USS Narcissus created using BlueView 1350 sonar and displayed by Fledermaus software package. The depth relief of the objects can be determined from the color-coding key in the upper right corner displayed in meters. The shaft and propeller (bottom left), engine (upper left), boiler pieces (right), and a goliath grouper (center) can be seen in the image. .....70 7. Sonar image showing location of USS Narcissus and the anchor. ........................71 8. Sonar image of the anchor