CSS blockade runners.

[Walter Snowdon]

 in the far distant past I remember reading of three Blockade runners which had FOUR funnels built toward the end of the civil war. Can anyone put a name to them with a possible reference source and any illustrations which may exist. I fancy building another runner and four stacks would be awesome!
On the same subject I have been in our local history section and found that NINE ships were built as civil war blockade runners. The list is as follows:
SS CZAR buil by Pearce, Lockwood 1861
SS BERMUDA built by  ..                1861
SS BAHAMA    ;;                ..         1862
SS PATRAS      ..   Richardson Duck 1859 (date must be wrong).
SS GLADIATOR  .. Pearce, Lockwood 1860
SS MODERN GREECE Richadson, Duck 1859
SS JUSTITA                        ..              1862
SS SOTHERNER  ..  Pearce, Lockwood  1863
SS PET              ..  Backhouse and DIXON middlesbrough 1862

 I know bermuda ,bahama and modern greece are well documented in USA but can anyone throw any light on the others - desciptions, illustrations, fate etc. Also any runners which may have been built in Hartlepool- L have heard rumours of at least one. A tall order but get digging chaps! Regards, Walter.

[Hankwilliams]

dear Walter,

I don`t find any documentation about Blockade runners with four funnels. As far I know, last and largest Blockade runners - build 1864 by Ouiggins Jones in Liverpool - were "HOPE" and "COLONEL LAMB" which equal hulls, but different superstructure. This ships are documentated quite well with plans and several models in museums. There was one Blockade runner, PS "Flamingo", with three funnels, but obviously she isn`t documentatet very good.
In my own are the books "Confederate Blockade Runner 1861 -65" by Angus Konstam, "The Confederate Steam Navy" by Donald L. Canney and "Blockade Runners of the Confederacy" by Hamilton Cochran. There is a direct line of the Clyde steamers to the two funneled classical Blockade runners of the Confederate Navy.

Many regards
Thomas

[Walter Snowdon]

Hello Thomas and thanks for the reply and plctures= nice models. I spent yesterday in the stockton local history department and found that all the ships listed above were all screw steamers. But I came across an interesting mention of an intriguing blockade runner built at Hartlepool only 12 miles away.  She was a small paddler called PS WHISPER. A small footnote by a British examiner described her as a smart small steamer extremely well fitted out internaly. I believe she made several succesful runs. I havnt found any illustrations but I will visit Hartlepool archives to see if they have anything.
  I have found my notes on the four funnelled runner.. She is the PS ROSINI. According to my rough notes, built in liverpool in1864 byJames QUIGGIN. 4 funnels, 270 foot long, beam33 feet. I have also found in my files 3 small photographs (not very good) of the builders model. I think according to my scribbles from an article by  Charles V PERRY . SHE looks to be a very handsome ship with 2 funnels before the paddles and 2 aft. I dont know if she made any runs . I believe her and a sister ship were sold to the Turkish navy and armed as steam corvetttes. This is one I MUST follow up!! I hope the model is in Liverpool museum. Regards, Walter

[Eddy Matthews]

Found an image of a 3 funnel blockade runner, apparently called "Condor", but have yet to find any image of a 4 funneled vessel...

[Hankwilliams]

Very interesting ship, but obviously no plans or drawings avaliable. There is a site: Condor Heritage Dive Site / NC Archaeology ncdsr.gov.

Thomas

[Walter Snowdon]

Thanks to you both- that three funnel runner looks great. In my last message I misspelt the four funnelers name. it is spelt ROSINE. Further to the above she was ordered by J K GILLIAT for Frazer Trenholm. Apparently her and her sister never got to run - the war finished while they were still in Liverpool. In1869 she went to the Turkish navy as ESUR-I-NUSRET and was quite heavily armed. In an article by the
americansocietyofarms.org there is a detailed description of her by the american ambassader at Liverpool including fittings and colours. in the same article are two small photographs described as a builders model. As I dont have a printer I went to the library but was unsuccsesful in printing them! This is the model which I HOPE is in the Liverpool museum. Sorry for the long winded spiel!! walter.

[Hankwilliams]

I suppose, the model of "CONDOR" may be in find museum of Ft. Fisher in North Carolina. I have send an E-mail to Ft. Fisher. May be, I will get some answere with more pictures and information. We will see.

Thomas

[Hankwilliams]

Found a picture of a quite good model of sistership blockade runner "FLAMINGO".

[Hankwilliams]

Probably my 3. Blockade Runner.

In the net are pictures of 3 different models of blockade runner "CONDOR" in US museums. The "Condor" type was a series of 5 identical ships build by Randolf Elder & Co of Govan 1863/64 named EVELYN, FALCO, FLAMINGO and PTARMIGAN. Rather little is documentary - as good as nothing but CONDOR and FLAMINGO.
First model should be in Fort Fisher, near Wilmington. I don`t know about the standplace of model 2 and 3. Last model is rather different from the first 2 models, for my point of view, it seems not very authentic.

In every case: I am drawing plans of CONDOR after the pictures of first two models. Lenght will be 1600 mm at a scale of 1 : 42. Scale must be little bigger than the common 1 : 48, because the weight of a projected steam driven model.

Thomas

[Hankwilliams]

The improved side elevation. The distance at the superstructure between deckhouse and stern, boiler casing and rudder house  now is correct.

Thomas

[Hankwilliams]

Plan view of "CONDOR". For drawing the plans I find out the distances of the models pictures. Second picture was slighly bigger than first. In my measurements dependent of the scale the distances were equal. So it is nearly secure, that model 1 and 2 is near the original ship, not model 3.

Thomas