Sinking of the Petrel
Part of the American Civil War
File:USS St. Lawrence vs Petrel.jpg USS St. Lawrence engageing the Petrel.
Date July 28, 1861 Location off Charleston, South Carolina, Atlantic Ocean Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Hugh Y. Purviance	William Perry
Strength
1 frigate	1 schooner
Casualties and losses
~1 wounded 1 frigate damaged	2-4 killed 36 captured 1 schooner sunk

Template:Campaignbox Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach

The Sinking of the Petrel occurred in July of 1861 during the American Civil War. While cruising off the coast of South Carolina the United States Navy warship USS St. Lawrence encountered the Confederate privateer named Petrel. The engagement ended in a Union victory and the survivng rebels were arrested for piracy.^[1]

Sinking

The USS St. Lawrence was a sailing frigate built for the Mexican War, she weighed 1,176 long tons and was armed with fifty guns. Captain Hugh Y. Purviance was placed in command with orderes to proceed south along the coast for service with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. Her opponent, the Petrel, was a much smaller schooner rigged vessel, mounting only two guns and under the command of Captain William Perry. She was formerly the United States Revenue Cutter Service ship William Aiken until being captured by the rebels. Petrel had a very short career before she was destroyed, having been commissioned Charleston, South Carolina on July 10, with seven other vessels. The Petrel had a crew of less than fifty men while the St. Lawrence carried nearly 500 men into battle, she left Charleston on July 28 and was discovered on the same date. It was night on July 28 when lookouts informed Captain Purviance that they had sighted a ship flying British colors off the South Carolina coast. Though the Union men did not know it at the time, the ship they saw was the Petrel.^[2]

A chase began and continued for around four hours before the Confederates were overhauled. Some accounts say the USS St. Lawrence was disguised as a merchantman during the engagement which successfully lured the Petrel in for an attack, but at some point Captain Perry discovered the true nature of the Union frigate and he decided to flee as fast as he could. When it became apparent that an escape was impossible, the rebels raised their naval jack and opened fire on the St. Lawrence with the 32-pounder. After three shots the Union sailors responded with a salvo from their forecastle battery and hit the schooner twice in the hull. For about twenty minutes the two sides exchanged fire until Perry gave the order enter life boats and abandon ship. Thirty minutes later the Petrel was completely underwater with multiple shot-holes through her side. The USS St. Lawrence recieved some damage to her sails and rigging, though it was only slight and the ship was easily repaired, at least one man suffered from minor wounds. Thirty-six Confederates were taken prisoner and another two to four went down with their vessel. The surviving rebels were eventually sent to New York and then Philadelphia in the steamship SS Flag to be charged for piracy but the accusation was not justified and the sailors were treated as prisoners of war.^[3]