Craney Island played a sig?nif?i?cant role in the War of 1812, fly?ing the Flag of 1795, with fif?teen stars and stripes. Amer?i?can defend?ers held off over?whelm?ing British forces there on June 22, 1813.
Two hundred British sol?diers were killed, thir?teen taken pris?oner and forty deserted. There were no Amer?i?can casu?al?ties. This suc?cess?ful bat?tle saved Nor?folk, Portsmouth and the Gosport Ship?yard from British occupation and destruction.
The USS Mer?ri?mack (1856 - 1861) was at Nor?folk Navy Yard in 1861, when Vir?ginia seceded from the Union. The Fed?eral forces burned and sank the Mer?ri?mack as they with?drew from the Navy Yard.
The Con?fed?er?ates sal?vaged the ship and con?verted her to an iron?clad. She was commissioned the CSS Vir?ginia in Feb?ru?ary 1862.
In May of 1862, as the Con?fed?er?ates aban?doned the Nor?folk area, efforts were made to lighten the Virginia enough to allow her to move up the James River. Unable to do so, she was destroyed by her crew off Craney Island on May 11.
Comments 0 comments