Back ستار أوف ذا ويست Arabic Star of the West German استار آو د وست Persian Star of the West Italian Stella Occidentis Latin Star of the West Polish 西部之星号货轮 Chinese
_from_Pictorial_History_(Lossing,_1866).jpg) Contemporaneous wood engraving of Star of the West
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Owner |
|
| Operator | U.S. Department of War (1861–) |
| Builder | Jeremiah Simonson |
| Launched | 17 June 1852 |
| Fate | Sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Steamship |
| Tonnage | 1,172 tons |
| Length | 228.3 ft (69.6 m) |
| Beam | 32.7 ft (10.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Paddlewheels |
Star of the West was an American merchant steamship that was launched in 1852 and scuttled by Confederate forces in 1863. In January 1861, the ship was hired by the government of the United States to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the U.S. military garrison of Fort Sumter. A battery on Morris Island, South Carolina handled by cadets from the South Carolina Military Academy (now The Citadel) fired upon the ship, considered by some scholars to have been effectively the first shots fired in the American Civil War.[1][2]
The ship was later captured by Confederate forces, then used for several purposes including as a hospital ship and a blockade runner, and finally scuttled in defense of Vicksburg in 1863.
- ^ "152nd anniversary of the Star of the West - The Citadel - Charleston, SC". Archived from the original on 2019-12-03.
- ^ Baker, Gary R. Cadets in Grey: The Story of the Cadets of the South Carolina Military Academy and the Cadet Rangers in the Civil War. Lexington, SC: Palmetto Bookworks, 1989. ISBN 0-9623065-0-9.
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