USS Iron Age ( 1862 ) USS " Iron Age " ( 1862 ) was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War . She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries . " Iron Age " was built at Kennebunk , Maine , in 1862 ; then purchased by the Navy at Boston , Massachusetts , 28 April 1863 and commissioned 25 June 1863 , Lt . Comdr . E . E . Stone in command . " Iron Age " searches for the CSS " Tacony " . That day she sailed from Boston in search of Confederate commerce raider , CSS " Tacony " , which was taking a heavy toll of New England shipping . After learning that the enemy cruiser had been burned and her crew captured , " Iron Age " returned to Boston 7 July . She spent the rest of the summer in New England waters protecting Union commerce , fisheries , and coasts . Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockade . " Iron Age " was transferred to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron 3 September and sailed for Wilmington , North Carolina , 2 days later , arriving off New Inlet 11 September . On her fifth day of blockade duty she discovered a runner attempting to escape , drove her back , and forced her to run ashore just abreast of Fort Fisher . On 21 October she assisted and in destroying blockade runner " Venus " . Destroying valuable Confederate salt works . Christmas Eve that year was the occasion for a raid on salt works at Bear Inlet . A large stockpile of salt desperately needed by the South was destroyed . This blow was doubly effective since the raiders also prevented the manufacture of a new supply by smashing the irreplaceable equipment in the plants . Wreck of the USS " Iron Age " . In late 1863 the Confederate blockade runner " Elizabeth " ran aground just off of Holden Beach in the Lockwood ' s Folly Inlet . In January 1864 the Confederate blockade runner " Bendigo " , returning from the port of Nassau with critical supplies for the Confederacy , saw the wreck of the " Elizabeth " and thought it to be a Union warship . Following the tactics of the day the " Bendigo " attempted to pass at full speed between enemy and the shore . This resulted in the CSS " Bendigo " running hard aground . The captain of the " Bendigo " recruited the help of the locals on Holden Beach and was able to salvage the supplies of the vessel . Following this , the captain set fire to the " Bendigo " and abandoned ship . Within a few days the United States Navy ordered the " Iron Age " and to Lockwood ' s Folly Inlet , near Wilmington , to try to float grounded Confederate blockade runner " Bendigo " on 9 January 1864 . The following morning at 0900 USS " Iron Age " ran hard aground during an attempt to free the Confederate warship . After untiring efforts to lighten her failed to refloat the ship , she was put to the torch at 0400 11 January 1864 and was destroyed 1 hour and 40 minutes later when her magazine exploded . Several days later locals from Holden Beach and the surrounding area would row out to the wreck in an attempt to salvage anything of value . Neil Holden , a Confederate soldier and descendant of the Holden Beach ' s namesake , claims to have found a razor blade in the captain ' s cabin of the USS " Iron Age " and has passed it down for several generations . The razor has stayed in the Holden family since the Civil War .