A Civil War Gunboat in Pacific Waters: Life on Board USS Saginaw

Hans Van Tilburg

University Press of Florida, 2010 - History - 361 pages

"An epic shipwreck tale. Sacrifice and heroism are recounted in a comprehensive study of a ship that embodied America's role in the nineteenth-century Pacific as Yankee enterprise helped open Asia to trade. Well-researched, well-written, this book also takes readers for the first time intoSaginaw's long-lost grave beneath the sea."--James P. Delgado, president, The Institute of Nautical Archaeology

"An impressive study of a naval vessel from construction to destruction."--William Still Jr., author of Crisis at Sea

The USS Saginaw was a Civil War gunboat that served in Pacific and Asian waters between 1860 and 1870. During this decade, the crew witnessed the trade disruptions of the Opium Wars, the Taiping Rebellion, the transportation of Confederate sailors to Central America, the French intervention in Mexico, and the growing presence of American naval forces in Hawaii.

In 1870, the ship sank at one of the world's most remote coral reefs; her crew was rescued sixty-eight days later after a dramatic open-boat voyage. More than 130 years later, Hans Van Tilburg led the team that discovered and recorded the Saginaw's remains near the Kure Atoll reef.

Van Tilburg's narrative provides fresh insights and a vivid retelling of a classic naval shipwreck. He provides a fascinating perspective on the watershed events in history that reshaped the Pacific during these years. And the tale of archaeological search and discovery reveals that adventure is still to be found on the high seas.

About the author

Hans Konrad Van Tilburg, maritime heritage coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the author of Chinese Junks on the Pacific.

Bibliographic information

• Title: A Civil War Gunboat in Pacific Waters: Life on Board USS Saginaw; New perspectives on maritime history and nautical archaeology
• Author: Hans Van Tilburg
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University Press of Florida, 2010
• Original from: Northwestern University
• Digitized: Sep 23, 2011
• ISBN: 0813035163, 9780813035161
• Length: 361 pages
• Subjects: History / Maritime History & Piracy; History / Military / General; History / Military / Naval; History / Military / United States; History / Oceania; History / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877); Transportation / Ships & Shipbuilding / General