USS Queen of the West ( 1854 ) US Ram " Queen of the West " , a sidewheel steamer built at Cincinnati , Ohio in 1854 , was purchased by the United States Department of War in 1862 and fitted out as a ram for Colonel Charles Ellet , Jr . ' s Ram Fleet which operated on the Mississippi River in the U . S . Civil War in conjunction with the Western Flotilla . As US Army Ram " Queen of the West " . Commanded by Colonel Charles Rivers Ellet ( the Fleet commander ' s son ) , " Queen of the West " , ram , and five ironclad gunboat s of the Western Flotilla engaged the Confederate States River Defense Fleet at Memphis , Tennessee on June 6 , 1862 . In the Battle of Memphis , " Queen of the West " was rammed and the elder Colonel Ellet was mortally wounded , but the Union ships destroyed the Southern flotilla and won for the Union control of the Mississippi as far south as Vicksburg , Mississippi . On July 15 , " Queen of the West " , , and engaged Confederate ironclad ram in the Yazoo River . The Southern ram escaped into the Mississippi and , heavily damaged , found refuge under the Southern batteries at Vicksburg . On July 22 , " Queen of the West " and attacked " Arkansas " , despite the Southern guns . " Essex " steamed through a hail of shell past the shore batteries and joined Admiral David Farragut ’ s ships below Vicksburg , and " Queen of the West " rammed " Arkansas " before rejoining the Western Flotilla ships above the river fortress . In ensuing months , " Queen of the West " continued to support operations against Vicksburg . On September 19 , while escorting two troop transports , she had a short engagement with Confederate infantry and artillery above Bolivar , Mississippi . As the year closed , she was busy clearing the Yazoo of torpedoes and engaging Confederate batteries at Drumgold ' s Bluff . On February 2 , 1863 , after ramming and firing incendiary projectiles into the Confederate steamer CSS " City of Vicksburg " under the fortress ’ s guns , " Queen of the West " was caught in the conflagration and forced to withdraw down stream , fighting fires in the bow and near her starboard wheel . The next day she forced ashore and captured Confederate steamers " O . W . Baker " , " Moro " , and " Berwick Bay " . On February 12 she ascended the Red River and entered the Atchafalaya River where a landing party destroyed Confederate Army wagons . That evening , Southern planters fired into the ship , severely wounding the senior naval officer aboard . The next day , in reprisal , Ellet destroyed all nearby buildings . On February 14 , " Queen of the West " captured steamer " Era No . 5 " some 15 miles above the mouth of the Black River and continued on upstream seeking three vessels reported at Barbin ’ s Landing . Taken under heavy fire by the shore batteries of Fort DeRussy , she ran aground directly under Confederate guns , which pounded her until Ellet ordered " abandon ship , " and the formidable vessel fell into Confederate hands . The Queen was not burned out of concern for the Captain of the ship who was wounded and could not be moved . In his official report , Ellet alleged the grounding was done purposely by the replacement pilot whom he accused in his report of being a rebel sympathizer . During their escape downstream , the pilot also grounded the captured Era running the paddles long after contact , whereupon the pilot was placed under arrest . As CSS " Queen of the West " . " Queen of the West " operated thereafter under the Confederate Army . In conjunction with another Confederate ram , , she forced the surrender of in the Mississippi River below Vicksburg on February 24 . On April 11 , 1863 she was attacked on the Atchafalaya River , Louisiana by Union ships , , and . A shell from " Calhoun " set fire to " Queen of the West " ’ s cotton , and her burning wreck drifted down the river for several hours before she grounded and exploded .