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NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

Beta
ex
 Bazely (I)
Picket Boat No. 2

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Screw tug:
  • Built as the screw tug J. E. Bazely in 1863 at Gloucester, N.J.
  • Purchased at Philadelphia by the Navy, 3 June 1864
  • Placed in service as Bazely, Acting Ensign John Conner in command
  • Designated Picket Boat No. 2, but continued to carry a the name Bazely
  • During the Civil War Bazely was assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron
    Assigned to patrol Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, 29 June 1864, at the mouth of the Roanoke River
    Acting Master's Mate John Woodman, assumed command in mid-August 1864
    Participated in the recapture of Plymouth, N. C., Acting Ensign Mark D. Ames now in command
    Renamed Beta 5 December 1864
    On 9 December 1864, while going to the rescue of USS Otsego, which had struck two torpedoes near Jamesville, N.C. Bazely (Beta) struck a torpedo whose explosion killed two men and caused the tug to sink
  • Final Disposition, destroyed by Union Navy forces, 25 December 1864
    Specifications:
    Displacement 55 t.
    Length 66'
    Beam 14'
    Draft 6' 8"
    Speed 10 kts
    Complement 13
    Armament
    one spar torpedo
    eight Enfield rifles
    Propulsion steam
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		Size Image Description Source
    Bazely (I) 141k Line engraving "Wreck of the 'Otsego,' and the Explosion of the Tug 'Bazely' in the Roanoke River," published in "Harper's Weekly", 21 January 1865, depicting Bazely striking a mine during operations in the Roanoke River, North Carolina, on 9 December 1864 (not 10 December as stated on the original print). The sunken USS Otsego, which had hit another mine shortly before, is in the background.
    US Navy photo NH 1334 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, courtesy of Erik Heyl.    		 Tommy Trampp
    Bazely (I) 91k Phototype by F. Gutekunst, Philadelphia, circa late 19th Century titled "'Wyalusing' at Rainbow Bluff, N.C." "Sinking of the 'Otsego' and blowing up of the 'Bazely.'" The print depicts the Bazely striking a mine while going to the assistance of USS Otsego, near Jamestown, North Carolina, on the Roanoke River, 9 December 1864. Otsego, which had just been sunk by other mines, is in the left center background. USS Wyalusing is in the foreground, providing covering fire as boats drag for mines nearby.
    US Navy photo NH 51794 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command, courtesy of Erik Heyl.    		 Tommy Trampp and Robert Hurst
    Tacony 91k 19th Century photograph of a painting by Acting Second Engineer Alexander C. Stuart, USN, 1864 depicting USS Commodore Hull (at left) leading the "Double-Ender" gunboats USS Tacony, USS Shamrock, USS Otsego and USS Wyalusing in engaging Confederate batteries at Plymouth, North Carolina, 31 October 1864. Small vessels lashed to the gunboats' unengaged sides include USS Whitehead (beside Tacony), Bazely (beside Shamrock) and USS Belle (beside Otsego).
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 58943 from the collection of Surgeon H.P. Babcock, USN. Donated by his son, George R. Babcock, 1939.    		 Bill Gonyo
    Beta / Bazely (I)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
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    Last Updated 10 June 2016