In February of 1857, excitement at the impending inauguration of James Buchanan raced through Washington D.C., including at the Navy Yard. Determined to impress everyone who came to cheer the new President, they went all-out in building two floats for the parade that would go – as was the custom in those years – from […]
As it happens so often, the third time was the charm. The third iteration of the USS Water Witch had the success that eluded the previous two boats that shared its name – and some of the machinery. A few months after the Tesuque Pueblos had watched the hulk of the previous Water Witch being battered, […]
Last week, I wrote about the visit of President Fillmore to the Navy Yard, and how he had the opportunity to watch the hull of the ill-fated Water Witch be battered by cannon fire. Continuing my research on this poor vessel, I discovered that such a spectacle was hardly reserved just for Presidential visits, but […]
When we last looked at the Water Witch, she had been sent off to the Gulf of Mexico. For about a year, she served honorably in that theater, but by November of 1848, she was in need of repairs, which were done in Pensacola, before being returned to Norfolk, and thence to the Washington Navy […]
Today we continue with our series on interesting ships from the Navy Yard. This time, the ship was actually built here – and sunk here, though that’s a story for another week. After the (dubious) success of the Germ, plans were made to build a number of ships using Hunter’s wheel. The first indication of […]