Logbook of the ship Rebecca Sims, November 20, 1861 - January 2, 1862

Stone blockade off Charleston

The blockade of Charleston, 1861

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

The Captains of the Stone Fleet

Location: New Bedford Whaling Museum (New Bedford, Mass.)
Background: Rebecca Sims, built at Philadelphia, Pa. in 1807, was a whaling vessel out of Fairhaven, Mass. She was mastered by James M. Willis. Rebecca Sims was acquired by the U.S. Navy at Fairhaven, Mass., on Oct. 21, 1861 for use in the "Stone Fleet," the ships which were to be sunk as obstacles in the shipping channels of the South's major ports.; The whaler was stripped of all unnecessary equipment; filled with stone; and, under the command of her previous master, James M. Willis, sent south in late Nov. 1862. In early December, she arrived off Savannah, whence, at mid-month, she proceeded to Port Royal. On Dec. 19-20, 1862, she and sixteen other ships were sunk in the main channel of Charleston Harbor.; Read Herman Melville's poem, "The Stone Fleet" (PDF, 1 p., 68 KB)