The Montana was a paddle steamer that was wrecked off the north coast of Bermuda on 30 December 1863. Paddle steamer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A shipwreck is the remains of a ship after it has sunk or been beached as a result of a crisis at sea. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...

History

The vessel was intended for operation as a blockade runner supplying Confederate Forces in the American Civil War. It was on its maiden voyage from London, headed ultimately for Wilmington in North Carolina. She was carrying cargo from Britain to help the Confederates. Britain could not be seen to be directly aiding the Confederates, hence various levels of secrecy were used for this and similar vessels. For example, at the time she was using an assumed name of Nola, a ruse to help avoid the attention of Union forces. She had used at least two other names at various times, namely the Gloria, and Paramount. A blockade runner is a ship designed to provide vital supplies to countries or areas blockaded by enemy forces during wartime. ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861) Richmond, Virginia (May 29, 1861–April 2, 1865) Danville, Virginia (April 3–April 10, 1865) Largest city New Orleans... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other places called Wilmington, see Wilmington Wilmington is a city located in New Hanover County, North Carolina. ... This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... Map of the division of the states during the Civil War. ...

Captain Pittman was in command of the vessel, and saw her safely across a rough Atlantic Ocean as far as Bermuda, where Pittman planned to stop to take on coal before departing for Wilmington. The ship hit the reef of Bermuda's north shore, in an area known as the Western Blue Cut on 30 December 1863. This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. ... Coal Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ...

Once the vessel was known to be in distress, a boat from St Georges was sent to the scene, and whilst much of the cargo and the entire crew was saved, the Montana was lost, mostly due to a large gash in her side of over ten feet. St. ...

Vessel statistics

The vessel was 236 feet long, with a 25 foot beam, and a displacement of 750 tons. The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point, or a point alongside the ship at the mid-point of its length. ... Look up displacement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ...

Current status

The wreck is quite compact within the Bermudian reef system to the north west of the island, and it lies in relatively shallow water, at a maximum depth of about thirty feet. The wreck has various parts still intact, however it is easy to confuse with another wreck, that of the Constellation, which sank in the same location in 1942.

It is a popular dive spot for many of the local dive operators, as it lies within a 45 minute boat journey of Hamilton, and in such shallow waters it can be appreciated by both snorkelling, and scuba diving. City Hall in Hamilton. ... Snorkeling is the practice of swimming at the surface of a body of water (typically of the sea) equipped with a mask and a short tube called a snorkel, to explore the underwater environment. ... Scuba divers. ...

GPS Co-ordinates

Montanna is located at 32º 21.817'N, 64º 54.812'W.

Sources

Bermuda Dive Sites (no ISBN) produced by The Bermuda Zoological Society and The Department of Conservations Services.

Bermuda Shipwrecks Daniel and Denise Berg, published by Aqua-Explorers Inc ISBN 0-9616167-4-1 1991 (LCCC 90-084836)

http://www.bermudascuba.com/divesites.asp

http://www.divebermuda.com/guides/wreck/default.aspx