USS Southfield ( 1857 ) USS " Southfield " was a double - ended , sidewheel steam gunboat of the Union Navy during the American Civil War . She was sunk in action against the Confederate ironclad ram CSS " Albemarle " during the Battle of Plymouth ( 1864 ) . " Southfield " was built in 1857 at Brooklyn , New York by John English , and served as a ferry between South Ferry , New York , and St . George , Staten Island , until she was purchased by the U . S . Navy at New York City on December 16 , 1861 from the New York Ferry Company . She was commissioned late in December 1861 , Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Charles F . W . Behm in command . Service history . Battle of Roanoke Island , 1862 . The double - ended gunboat joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Hampton Roads on the afternoon of January 2 , 1862 . On January 11 , Admiral Louis M . Goldsborough ordered " Southfield " to proceed to Hatteras Inlet , North Carolina , the staging area for an expedition against Roanoke Island , which controlled navigation in the North Carolina sounds . The gunboat was detained at Hampton Roads awaiting troops to fill out her complement until about sunset on January 16 when she got underway south . She reached Hatteras Inlet the next day . Great labor was required to get Goldsborough ' s ships and the U . S . Army transports over Hatteras bar . The last vessel entered the sounds on February 5 , enabling the expedition to get underway . The next morning , February 6 , Goldsborough shifted his flag from the deep draft to " Southfield " since the double - ender was more nimble in shallow water . From her deck , he directed the attack on Confederate defenses , which began on the morning of February 7 with a heavy bombardment of Fort Bartow and was continued until dark . Late in the afternoon , Army troops under Brigadier General Ambrose Burnside landed under the cover of the naval gunfire . The attack was resumed on the morning of February 8 and pressed until about midafternoon , when the Union flag flew over Fort Bartow . Shortly thereafter , the Union ships managed to break through the Confederate obstruction and enter Albemarle Sound . The capture of Roanoke Island assured the Union forces free access to North Carolina ' s vast system of inland waterways and endangered the South ' s hold on much of North Carolina and Virginia . Norfolk , Virginia , a Southern strong point of special strategic importance , was flanked ; and , in a few months , it was abandoned . Goldsborough was vigorous in exploiting the opening he had created by the conquest of Roanoke Island . Two days later , Elizabeth City , North Carolina was in Union hands . New Bern , North Carolina fell on March 14 . Beaufort , North Carolina was captured by the end of April . " Southfield " played a major role in these Union conquests . Peninsula Campaign , 1862 . Late in May , her effort in behalf of the Union cause in North Carolina was interrupted by General George McClellan ' s request for more naval assistance in his drive up the peninsula from Fort Monroe toward Richmond , Virginia . " Southfield " arrived at Hampton Roads on June 2 and devoted most of the summer to operations on the York and James Rivers which form the peninsula . At the end of August , after McClellan had evacuated his army , the double - ender was sent to the Norfolk Navy Yard for badly needed repairs before returning to the North Carolina sounds . Battle of Washington , 1863 . Back in fighting trim , " Southfield " departed Hampton Roads on December 2 , arrived at Hatteras Inlet the next day , and proceeded to Plymouth , North Carolina . On the morning of December 10 , she engaged a Confederate land force which attacked that city . A Southern shot pierced her steam chest , disabling her engine and filling the ship with hot steam . The scalding vapor prevented the gunboat ' s crew from reaching her magazine and thus made it impossible for her guns to continue their fire . Boats were lowered to pull the disabled ship downstream ; but , hearing the firing , steamed up , took " Southfield " in tow , and returned with her to Plymouth . By that time , the Confederate raiders had withdrawn . On the last day of March 1863 , Confederate troops attacked and besieged the Union garrison at Washington , North Carolina . " Southfield " was ordered from Plymouth to the scene of the action where she engaged the investing forces . She and other Union gunboats also carried supplies through the blockade to sustain the beleaguered Northern troops , finally forcing the Southern attackers to withdraw on April 16 . The next day , " Southfield " headed back for Plymouth and , for the following year of relative quiet in the sounds of North Carolina , labored to protect the Union ' s tenuous hold on the region . Battle of Plymouth , 1864 . However , the approach of the spring of 1864 seemed to stir new life among Confederate forces in the region . In February , they attacked New Bern and captured gunboat . On the first day of March , " Southfield " and tinclad ascended the Chowan River to assist Army steamer USS " Bombshell " , which had been cut off by Confederates above Petty Shore . On March 2 , they shelled the Southern batteries , enabling " Bombshell " to dash down to safety . But worst of all , the air was rife with rumors that Rebel ironclad ram CSS " Albemarle " was ready to descend the Roanoke River to destroy the Union warships in the sounds . On the afternoon of April 17 , Confederate ground forces attacked Plymouth with artillery and musketry . The Union gunboats in the vicinity helped to defend the town for the remainder of the day and throughout the next . That night , in anticipation of an attack by " Albemarle " , " Southfield " was brought alongside , and the two ships were lashed together for mutual protection and concentration of firepower . Before dawn on the morning of April 19 , " Albemarle " emerged from the Roanoke . " Miami " and " Southfield " raced toward her . When the three ships collided , the ram scraped across " Miami ' s " bow , smashed through " Southfield ' s " starboard side , and pierced the wooden gunboat ' s boiler . For a moment , both " Miami " and " Albemarle " were entangled with the fatally wounded double - ender . The forward ropes which had lashed " Southfield " to " Miami " were snapped by the collision , and the aft lines were cut by " Miami " ' s crew . " Albemarle " had a harder time extricating herself from her bested and rapidly sinking adversary . Before she could pull free from the wreck by backing her engines , the ram had taken on so much water that her forward deck was too far depressed to permit her to overtake " Miami " or to let her guns open fire on the departing side - wheeler . Thus , in sinking , " Southfield " saved her consort .