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NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Iron Age

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Screw Steamer:
  • Built in 1862 at Kennebunk, Maine
  • Launched, date unknown
  • Purchased by the Navy at Boston 28 April 1863
  • Commissioned USS Iron Age, 25 June 1863, LCDR. E. E. Stone in command
  • That day she sailed from Boston in search of Confederate commerce raider, Tacony, which was taking a heavy toll of New England shipping
  • Iron Age returned to Boston, 7 July 1863 spending the rest of the summer in New England waters protecting Union commerce
  • Assigned to th North Atlantic Blockading Squadron 3 September, she sailed for Wilmington, N.C., 2 days later, arriving off New Inlet 11 September
    On her fifth day of blockade duty Iron Age drove a blockade runner back, and forced her to run ashore just abreast of Fort Fisher
    On 21 October she assisted USS Nansemond and USS Niphon in destroying blockade runner Venus
    24 December 1863, Iron Age participated in a raid on salt works at Bear Inlet, destroying a large stockpile of salt and smashing the equipment in the plants
    Iron Age and USS Daylight were ordered to Lockwood's Folly Inlet, near Wilmington, to try to float grounded blockade runner Bendigo, 9 January 1864
  • Final Disposition, Iron Age ran hard aground, the next day and after failing to her refloat the ship, she was put to the torch, 11 January 1864 and was destroyed when her magazine exploded.
    Specifications:
    Displacement 424 t.
    Length 144'
    Beam 25'
    Depth of Hold 12'6"
    Draft unknown
    Speed unknown
    Complement unknown
    Armament
    three 30-pdr Dahlgren rifles
    six 8" Dahlgren guns
    Propulsion steam
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    USS Iron Age
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
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    Last Updated 9 January 2024