Career (USA)
Launched:	1854
Commissioned:	1862
Decommissioned:	February 14, 1863
Fate:	Captured by Confederate States Army; became CSS Queen of the West
Career (CSA)
Commissioned:	February 1863
Decommissioned:	April 14, 1863
Fate:	Attacked and destroyed by United States
General Characteristics
Displacement:	406 tons
Length:	180 feet
Beam:	37 feet 6 inches
Propulsion:	Steam engine
Complement:	120 officers and men
Armament:	1 30-pounder cannon, 3 12-pounder howitzers

USS Queen of the West, a sidewheel steamer built at Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854, was purchased by the United States Department of War in 1862 and fitted out as a ram for General Charles Ellet's Ram Fleet which operated on the Mississippi River in the U.S. Civil War in conjunction with the Western Flotilla. USS Queen of the West, from the U.S. Naval Historical Center. ... the United States naval jack File links The following pages link to this file: USS Indianapolis (CA-35) USS Monitor USS Peleliu (LHA-5) USS Oregon (BB-3) USS Akron (ZRS-4) USS Housatonic (1861) USS Holland (SS-1) USS S-1 (SS-105) USS R-14 (SS-91) USS... Confederate Naval Jack icon for ship pages File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship driven by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ... Steamer can refer to a Steamboat or Steamship or a Soft-shell Clam or mussel (generally cooked by steaming) Any of a number of cooking appliances and cooking utensils that cook by steaming, such as a rice cooker. ... Cincinnati, Ohio viewed from the SW, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft (R) Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The United States Department of War was the military department of the United States governments executive branch from 1789 until 1949, when it became part of the United States Department of Defense. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A ram was a naval ship class in the 1860s. ... General is a military rank used by nearly every country in the world. ... Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge Saint Louis¹: 5,500 m³/s Vicksburg²: 16,800 m³/s Baton Rouge³: 12,800 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin  Lake Itasca Mouth  Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy...

Commanded by Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet, Queen of the West, ram USS Monarch, and five ironclad gunboats of the Western Flotilla engaged the Confederate States River Defense Fleet at Memphis, Tennessee on June 6, 1862. In the Battle of Memphis, Queen of the West was rammed and Colonel Ellet mortally wounded, but the Union ships destroyed the Southern flotilla and won for the Union control of the Mississippi as far south as Vicksburg, Mississippi. Colonel is both a military rank and civilian title, used by nearly every country in the world. ... Charles Rivers Ellet Charles Rivers Ellet (June 1, 1843 - October 29, 1863) was a medical student who became a Colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ... A gunboat is literally a boat carrying one or more guns. ... For other meanings of confederate and confederacy, see confederacy (disambiguation) National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Largest... City nickname: The River City or The Bluff City Location in the state of Tennessee County Shelby County, Tennessee Area  - Total  - Water 763. ... State nickname: Volunteer State Other U.S. States Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen (D) Official languages English Area 109,247 km² (36th)  - Land 106,846 km²  - Water 2,400 km² (2. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... Battle of Memphis I Conflict American Civil War Date June 6, 1862 Place Shelby County, Tennessee Result Union victory The Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River on June 6, 1862 during the American Civil War. ... ... Illinois Memorial in Vicksburg National Military Park. ... State nickname: Magnolia State Other U.S. States Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Governor Haley Barbour (R) Official languages English Area 125,546 km² (32nd)  - Land 121,606 km²  - Water 3,940 km² (3%) Population (2000)  - Population 2,697,243 (31st)  - Density 23. ...

On July 15, Queen of the West, USS Carondelet, and USS Tyler engaged Confederate ironclad ram CSS Arkansas in the Yazoo River. The Southern ram escaped into the Mississippi and, heavily damaged, found refuge under the Southern batteries at Vicksburg. On July 22, Queen of the West and USS Essex attacked Arkansas, despite the Southern guns. Essex steamed through a hail of shell past the shore batteries and joined Admiral David Farragut’s ships below Vicksburg, and Queen of the West rammed Arkansas before rejoining the Western Flotilla ships above the river fortress. July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... There have been two ships of the United States Navy named USS Carondelet: The first USS Carondelet was a gunboat on the Mississippi River during the U.S. Civil War. ... The USS Tyler was originally a merchant ship named , acquired by the United States Navy for service in the American Civil War and converted into the gunboat USS Tyler on 5 June 1861. ... The CSS Arkansas was a Confederate Ironclad warship during the American Civil War. ... hTe Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi and the second longest tributary of the Mississippi River that flows into that river from the east (the longest is the Ohio River). ... USS Essex was an ironclad river gunboat of the United States Army and later United States Navy during the American Civil War. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ... [[[[ == image:david farragut. ...

In ensuing months, Queen of the West continued to support operations against Vicksburg. On September 19, while escorting two troop transports, she had a short engagement with Confederate infantry and artillery above Bolivar, Mississippi. As the year closed, she was busy clearing the Yazoo of torpedoes and engaging Confederate batteries at Drumgold’s Bluff. September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ...

On February 2, 1863, after ramming but not sinking Confederate steamer CSS City of Vicksburg under the fortress’s guns, Queen of the West fought fires in the bow and near her starboard wheel and retired down stream. The next day she forced ashore and captured Confederate steamers O. W. Baker, Moro, and Berwick Bay. On February 12 she ascended the Red River and entered the Atchafalaya River where a landing party destroyed Confederate Army wagons. That night Southern batteries fired oil the ship. The next day, in reprisal, Ellet destroyed all nearby buildings. February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Red River is one of several rivers with that name. ... The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi and Red rivers, approximately 170 mi (270 km) long, in south central Louisiana in the United States. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

On February 14, Queen of the West captured steamer Era No. 5 some 15 miles above the mouth of the Black River and continued on upstream seeking three vessels reported at Gordon’s Landing. Taken under heavy fire by shore batteries, she ran aground while attempting to back down river directly under Confederate guns, which pounded her until Ellet ordered "abandon ship," and the formidable vessel fell into Confederate hands. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Queen of the West operated thereafter under the Confederate Army. In conjunction with another Confederate ram, CSS Webb, she forced the surrender of USS Indianola off the Red River on February 24. On April 14, 1863 she was attacked on the Atchafalaya River, Louisiana by Union ships USS Estrella, USS Calhoun, and USS Arizona. A shell from Calhoun set fire to Queen of the West’s cotton, and her burning wreck drifted down the river for several hours before she grounded and exploded. February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (105th in leap years). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... State nickname: Pelican State Other U.S. States Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans, officially (currently Baton Rouge due to the evacuation of New Orleans) Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) Official languages None; English and French de facto Area 134,382 km² (31st)  - Land 112,927 km²  - Water 21,455... The first USS Arizona was an iron hulled side-wheel steamer in the United States Navy. ...

External links:

• U.S. Ram Queen of the West (1862-1863)
• 1863 Newspaper Article on the Queen of the West

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS for short) is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every ship ever used by the United States Navy. ...