Towing Duty:  USS Huron at Hampton Roads

   The Huron, a 1020-ton Alert class steam gunboat, was one of only three vessels to be constructed of iron after the end of the American Civil War. She was the last vessel to use smoothbore ordinance. She was also the last to use a combination of sail and steam for propulsion.

   Constructed in Chester, Pennsylvania and commissioned in 1875, the Huron's creation came from the urgent need for an upgraded navy. The United States Navy, an estimated 700 vessels, and certainly the most powerful navy force in the world, had shrunk to a paltry number of 48 obsolete vessels. The rebuilding of the South after the Civil War, western frontier expansion, and the construction of the transcontinental railroad dominated national attention. A congressional appropriations bill would lead to the creation of the Huron and seven other new vessels, which would be the very last ships constructed in the "old navy".

   The Huron was stationed at the  North Atlantic Squadron Headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia. Her first temporary duty was towing monitors from various docking facilities throughout Hampton Roads until 1876. The Huron was then deployed to Vera Cruz, Mexico to ensure the safety of American nationals during the Mexican Revolution.

   The Huron would gain national attention on November 24, 1877, 1:30 a.m. While headed on a scientific voyage to Havana, Cuba, an error in the ship's compass combined with a heavy storm blowing from the southeast, caused the Huron to run aground 200 yards from the beach at Nags Head, North Carolina. What scarce lifesaving stations existed at the time, most remained closed until December. Of the Huron's total crew of 132 onboard, 98 naval men drowned. The American public was outraged and Congress was severely criticized for not providing adequate funding for the safety of mariners. A tighter network of lifesaving stations along the coast resulted directly from the loss of the U.S.S. Huron. Today the remains of the vessel are designated a Historic Shipwreck Preserve.

"...immersed in maritime history..."

   Artist Matt Sheaffer is an avid scuba diver. He has made several dives on the Huron wreck site and other shipwrecks in the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

300 Limited Edition Giclée Prints / Signed and numbered by the artist

  Each 10" x 14" print includes certificate of authenticity with history summary

  *Original and print pricing presented below.