Republic (ship, 1853)

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Republic p1
Ship data
flag United States 35United States United States Confederate States of America
States of America Confederate 1861-4Confederate States of America 
other ship names
  • Tennessee
  • mobile
Ship type Paddle steamer
Launch August 13, 1853
Whereabouts Sunk on October 25, 1865
Ship dimensions and crew
length
64 m ( Lüa )
width 10.3 m
displacement 1149  t
Machine system
machine Steam engine
propeller 2 paddle wheels ⌀ 8.4 m

The Republic was an American paddle-wheel steamer that sank in a hurricane on October 25, 1865 off the coast of Georgia en route to New Orleans , laden with around $ 400,000 in coins .

The ship was on 13 August 1853 as Tennessee from running batch and had a length of 64 meters, a width of 10.3 meters and a displacement of 1,149 tons.

She initially drove between Baltimore to Charleston and was also used on the transatlantic route, as the first ship from Baltimore, as well as a passenger ship between the USA and South America, as the first steamship to operate regularly on this route. Among other things, she transported gold prospectors on the way to California to Panama and mercenaries in William Walker's attempted coup in Nicaragua . Later she operated between Havana , Veracruz and New Orleans .

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, it was confiscated by the Confederates in New Orleans and initially served as a blockade breaker. When the Union troops conquered New Orleans in April 1862, it fell into their hands and was converted into a gunboat for the Union fleet. As Tennessee , she was temporarily the flagship of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut . She took part in the Battle of Mobile Bay when Fort Morgan was bombarded. After the battle, it was renamed Mobile to commemorate the Union's victory in that battle . In October, the ship was badly damaged in a severe storm and was bought by a New York shipowner who converted it and renamed it Republic . It operated on the New York - New Orleans route.

When the Republic set sail on October 19, 1865, it had 59 passengers and 500 barrels with around 400,000 dollars in silver and gold coins on board in addition to the ship's crew. The Republic got caught in a hurricane (the fourth in its career) and sank in a storm on October 25, 1865 after two days. 12 men died, most of the castaways were rescued.

In mid-October 2003, the company Odyssey Marine Exploration from Tampa , Florida recovered the ship's bell 150 kilometers southeast of Savannah at a depth of around 500 m, thus providing evidence that the shipwreck explored there was the Republic . In the meantime, the coin treasure assumed in the wreck ( 30 ° 57 '23.7 "  N , 79 ° 40' 36.7"  W, coordinates: 30 ° 57 '23.7 "  N , 79 ° 40' 36.7"  W ) could be found to be recovered. The current, estimated value of the coins, some of which have been very well preserved, is 150 million US dollars.

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