Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-11-07
THE HISTORIC FRIGATE
OLD SANTEE BURNED
For Its Junk-"TO What Base
Uses"
HAD SUNK AT NAVAL ACADEMY.
Was in Admiral Fsusgut's Fleet at
MobiIe-Saw Service as Prison
Shin for Naughty hiiddies.

ne OH UEASgM S1A WAANA
for many years was the" station ship"
at the Naval Academy, came to base
uses We sterday when il was burned for
old junk at Governors Island, where
il had been beached.
The historic wooden frigate was a
remnant of the early days of the
navy, and was az one time practice
ship of the midshipmen at the Naval
| Academy, and known to practically
every officer in the service through
the fact that for years she was used
as a prison for disobedient middies
The Santee, which was in Admiral
Farragut's feet at Mobile. bIrned
fiercely yesterday, her timbers, dried
| by many years. making fine fuel.
| The blaze was visible for miles at
sea. The old warship had been
bought by a junk concern for her
brass fittings.
The selling of the historic vessel
was not considered by the government
until after she had sprung slesk and
sunk at her dock here. 1t was about
O'Clock on the morning Of April -,
1919, that the vessel be gan to set
tie. Occurring at such an early hour,
the sinking created considerable eX
citement among those on board at the
time. Reveille was promptly sound
ed and all hands were up ard astir
in quick order.
There was no immediate danger,
however, for the old vessel settled
slowly. Several high pressure pumps
were kept constantly at work through
out the day, and these prevented the
ship from settling more quickly, al
though the water leaked through In
great volumes. 1t had been many 9
year since the Santee was moved
from her mornings. She was a vessel
of the square-rigged type, but after
being brought to Annapolis he was
dismantled and rooted over.
Huge anchors were cast fore and
aft to steady her in her position. In
fact she had been practically resting
on the bottom, which is soft. The
interior of the vessel was repaired
from time to time, bat on the exter-
ior, at least below the water nothing
had been done to her for years. Tn
doubtedly her bottom had rottod
After the suuken vessel had been
sold for junk, the firm which bought
the historic craft had her toWed to
Baltimore, where she was dryd)cked
and made sufficiently seaworthy to
stand the trip to Boston for .dismsnt-
ling.
rhe Santee was built just before
the Civil War, but because of mis-
take in her design she was never
used for any important service. ira
dition has il that the error was point
ed out TO the designer by his young
son, and the designer hot him self on
the deck Of TIE vessel. The mistake
was that the portfolios were built
directly opposite each other, thus
affording an open Iins Of fire to an
opposing vessel.
The Santee was brought &c Annap-
ellis in 1866, when the Naval Acsd-
envy was removed here from New
port. For a number of years she was
used as practice ship for the mid
shipmen, but she probably gained her
greatest fame when she was made a
prison ship. 1t as not infrequent fcr
a score or mere of midshipmen to be
confined there at one time. Also
there was the "brig," wherein offe nd
ing sailors and marines were con-
fined.
For a number of years back in the
eighties and early nineties the old
ship was used as a dormitory for the
fourth or "plebe" class of midship-
men during the summer months, and
here they got their first actual in
struction in service afioat. In late
years the vessel had been used as a
garrison for some of the marines and
sailors attached to the Naval Acad-
envy. Besides this it contained the
quarters of the officer in charge Of
government vessels attached to the
local station