CNN is reporting that the Sidewheel Steamer SS Republic has been found. The SS Republic was lost in deep water off the Georgia coast in 1865 after battling a hurricane for two days. The ship, en-route from New York to New Orleans, was reportedly carrying $400,000 in specie (gold coin worth about $150 million today) to New Orleans to help finance post-Civil War reconstruction efforts. They also erred in their reporting that all 59 passengers and were saved, this is not true. There were 80 passengers and crew aboard the SS Republic when it went down and 63 rescued. One of those who died was a passenger named Parker, known by my family, to be a New York Carpetbagger on his way back to Mobile, Alabama. The ship sank on October 25, 1865. The last to be rescued was two people out of eighteen, known to have been on a raft, on November 2, 1865. Parker had been on this raft

Service

From 1853 to 1857 the SS Republic was first known as the SS Tennessee owned by James Hooper’s West Indies & Venezuela S.S. Company, but later purchased by Charles Morgan for service to Nicaragua. From 1857 to 1860 the SS Tennessee steamed the New York to New Orleans route. On April 21, 1861 the SS Republic was captured by Confederate troops in New Orleans and pressed into service. They armed and mounted the following: 2 32-pdr/33’s, 1 30-pdr rifle, and 1 12-pdr rifle. The CSS Tennessee was captured by Union forces on April 28, 1862 in New Orleans and pressed into service. The USS Tennessee participated in the bombardment at Whitehall Point, La., on July 10, 1863 and the bombarded of Fort Morgan, Alabama on 9-23 August, 1864. Renamed the USS Mobile on September 1, 1864. Damaged in gale of Rio Grande, late 1864. Sold March 30, 1865.

Captured the Friendship on Oct. 12, 1863
Captured the Jane on Oct. 12, 1863
Captured the Annie Virdon on Oct. 5, 1864
Captured the Emily & Louisa on Oct. 19, 1864

David Upton