Seizer (snagboat)
  United States | |
|---|---|
| Name | Seizer |
| Owner | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Launched | 1881, Stockton, California |
| Completed | 1881 |
| Reclassified | Barracks ship, 1921 |
| Fate | unknown |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | snagboat |
| Tonnage | 240 GRT[1] |
| Length | 157 ft 7 in (48.03 m) o/a[1] |
| Beam | 35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)[1] |
| Draught | 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)[1] |
| Propulsion | steam |
| Speed | 6-7 knots |
Seizer was a wooden-hulled, stern-wheel steamship that served as the first snagboat for the United States Army Corps of Engineers on the Sacramento River.
History
[edit]Seizer was a stern-wheeled, shallow draft steamship ordered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers) to serve as the first snagboat on the Sacramento, the Mokelumne, and the San Joaquin Rivers.[2] She was built in Stockton, California in 1881 and outfitted with a wood-fueled steam boiler which enabled her to cruise at a speed of 6-7 knots.[2] The ship was painted white with a red line and a mahogany smoke stake.[2] She was captained by Captain "Rush" Fisher of Missouri and carried a crew of 33 men.[2] The crew included divers from Hawaii who were able swimmers and capable of entering the muddy waters to attach chains to sunken trees.[2][3] In 1895, she overhauled and fitted to burn coal.[2] By 1919, she was using oil as a fuel.[2] In 1908 she was joined by a snag scow, Tackle (30 GRT, 64 x 28 x 3.5), which was designed to operate in much shallower waters.[4][5] She retired in 1921 after the completion of her replacement, Bear (242 GRT), and was converted into a quarter boat.[1] Her steam engine was utilized in the snagboat Yuba (410 GRT) built in 1925.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e List of Merchant Vessels of the United States - Vessels Owned by The United States and Employed in the Engineers Corps, United States Army. Department of Commerce, U.S. Bureau of Navigation. 1923. p. 550.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Sacramento River: Snag-Boat: "Seizer"". History & Happenings. 12 December 2012.
- ^ Port of Sacramento. West Sacramento Historical Society. 11 April 2007. pp. 25–27. ISBN 978-1531628956.
- ^ Hagwood Jr., John J. (1981). The California Debris Commission: A History (PDF). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District. p. 49.
- ^ List of Merchant Vessels of the United States - Vessels Owned by The United States and Employed in the Engineers Corps, United States Army. Department of Commerce, U.S. Bureau of Navigation. 1911. p. 440.
- ^ "Recent Contracts - A. W. de Young Boat & Shipbuilding Company". Pacific Marine Review: The National Magazine of Shipping, Volume 21. 1924. p. 538.