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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Bibb (II)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Steamer:
  • Laid down, 24 February 1853, for the Coast Survey at Boston Navy Yard
  • Launched, 12 May 1853
  • Bibb began her service with the Coast Survey, 11 August 1853
  • Transferred to the Revenue Cutter Service in April 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War
  • Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, at Port Royal, S.C.
  • In the early part of 1864, Bibb was in overhaul at Washington Navy Yard
  • In the latter part of 1864 Bibb was armed and placed under the command of Acting ENS. George E. McConnell to protect the capital from threat of Confederate raiders
  • Returned to the Coast Survey when the crisis passed, Bibb operating out of Washington Navy Yard before rejoining the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in early 1865
  • Resumed peacetime service with the Coast Survey at the close of the Civil War
    Specifications:
    Displacement 409 t.
    Length unknown
    Beam unknown
    Depth of Hold unknown
    Draft unknown
    Speed unknown
    Complement 35
    Armament unarmed
    Propulsion steam
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Bibb 122k
    Namesake
    George Mortimer Bibb--born on 30 October 1776 in Prince Edward County, Va.--graduated from both Hampden-Sydney and William and Mary Colleges and then, after studying law in the office of Richard Venable, was admitted to the Virginia Bar. He moved to Lexington, Ky., in 1798 and soon achieved a position of distinction and leadership there, in politics and in his profession. Appointed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1808, he became its chief justice in the following year but resigned in 1810 and was sent to the United States Senate in 1811. Although a leader of the successful "War Hawk" faction in Congress, Bibb resigned from the Senate in 1814--before the end of the War of 1812--and returned to Kentucky. Residing at Frankfort, he turned his attention back to law and state politics. After more than a decade of comparative retirement from the national scene, Bibb returned to the United States Senate in 1828 as a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson. However, since this six year stint in Congress left him disenchanted with "Old Hickory's" leadership, he did not stand for reelection, but returned to Kentucky at the end of his term to become Chancellor of the Louisville Court of Chancery. In 1844, Bibb became Secretary of the Treasury under President John Tyler. He left office on 4 March 1845 when President James K. Polk was inaugurated, but stayed in the national capital practicing law until he died there on 14 April 1859.
    Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Brady-Handy Photograph Collection.    		 Bill Gonyo
    Bibb 70k Image of the Coast Survey steamer Bibb (II) underway.
    Source "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion”. Series 1, Volume 22"    		 Bill Gonyo
    Bibb (II)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 1 March 2013