USS BENTON was an ironclad river gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for American senator Thomas Hart Benton. BENTON was a former center-wheel catamaran snagboat and was converted by James B. Eads, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1861: Civilian contractor James B. Eads was contracted to convert the sturdily built catamaran into the largest and most powerful ironclad of the Union's River Fleet. The craft originally had two hulls braced 20 feet apart, but Eads planked them to make one strong hull 72 feet wide and 202 feet long. Space was left in the stern of the hull to allow for a central wheel to be propelled by the two original powerful engines. The sides and how they were protected by a slanting casemate with an armor 3.5 inches thick. The wheelhouse and stern were built with casemates covered with 2.5 inch thick iron. BENTON commissioned February 24, 1862 as part of the Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla.
A snagboat is a river boat, resembling a barge with superstructure for crew accommodations, and deck-mounted cranes and hoists for removing snags and other obstructions from rivers and other shallow waterways. Admiral. Andrew H. Foote received his powerful flagship on January 15, 1862, from Eads's shipyard in Carondelet, MO.
BENTON was in action with the Confederate ironclad ARKANSAS near Vicksburg, Mississippi, and participated in an expedition up the Yazoo River. She was transferred to the Navy in October 1862, and continued her service as the Mississippi Squadron's flagship into 1863. In December 1862, BENTON was damaged by Confederate gunfire during another operation on the Yazoo River. She was one of the ships that ran past Vicksburg on 16 April 1863 and bombarded Grand Gulf, Mississippi, later in that month. She participated in an attack on Fort DeRussy, Arkansas, in May, then provided gunfire support for the siege of Vicksburg. In March-May 1864, BENTON was involved in the Red River expedition, in Louisiana, and returned to that vicinity in June 1865 during operations that followed the formal end of the Civil War. USS BENTON was decommissioned in July 1865 and sold the following November.
USS BENTON: Builder: James B. Eads, St. Louis, Missouri.
Laid down: date unknown.
Displacement 643 ton, dim. 61.57 x 22.25 x 2.74m. (draught);
Powered by 2 inclined steam engines, hp?, driving a stern paddlewheel. Speed 5.5 knots. Range 920 miles.
Armament: Like many of the Mississippi theater ironclads, the BENTON had her armament changed multiple times. Like the City-class, the BENTON was fitted with a mixture of modern and antiquated weapons, then had her weapons upgraded as new pieces became available. Though the 9-inch (230 mm) smoothbore guns were modern, most of the other original armaments were antiquated, such as the 32-pounders, or modified, such as the 42-pounder "rifles" that were in fact old smoothbores that had been gouged out to give them rifling. These modified weapons were of particular concern to military commanders because they were structurally weaker and more prone to exploding than purpose-built rifled guns. Additionally, the close confines of riverine combat greatly increased the threat of boarding parties. The 12-pounder howitzer was equipped to address that concern and was not used in regular combat. By the end of the war, the BENTON was one of the heaviest armed vessels in the Mississippi theater.
Crew 176
Acquired: early November 1861 for $2,600 USD.
Commissioned: February 24, 1862.
Decommissioned: July 20, 1865 at Mound City, Illinois. Her armor and armament were removed and she was sold November 29, 1865 to be broken up. Struck: 1865 (est.),
USA 2013 Forever stamp, sg?, scott4789 (she is the first ship in the line at the bottom of the stamp, the tug IVY is lashed alongside her)
Sources: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-u ... benton.htm, http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/de ... enton-1862, https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar//Onlin ... benton.htm, http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/ShipsBloc ... enton.html