Editing CSS Beaufort (section)

{{Short description|Iron-hull gunboat of the American Civil War}}
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|Ship country=Confederate States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Confederate States of America|naval}}
|Ship name = ''Beaufort''
|Ship namesake=[[Beaufort, South Carolina]]
|Ship owner=James Cathcart Johnston
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|Ship builder=[[Pusey & Jones]], Wilmington, Delaware
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|Ship launched=1854, as the ''Caledonia''
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|Ship commissioned=July 9, 1861
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|Ship homeport=[[Edenton, North Carolina]]
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|Ship fate=*Captured by [[United States Navy]] April 3, 1865
*Sold September 15, 1865
* Converted into barge 1878
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|Ship type= [[Screw steamer]]
|Ship tonnage=85 tons
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The '''CSS ''Beaufort''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|juː|f|ər|t}} {{respell|BEW|fert}}) was an iron-hull [[gunboat]] that served in [[North Carolina]] and [[Virginia]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Originally [[ceremonial ship launching|launched]] as '''''Caledonia''''' at [[Wilmington, Delaware]], in 1854, the ship was owned by [[James Cathcart Johnston]]. It saw use as a [[tugboat]] on the [[Dismal Swamp Canal]]. On July 9, 1861, ''Beaufort'' was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the navy of the state of [[North Carolina]] for use in the American Civil War. First serving on the North Carolina coast, ''Beaufort'' was present at the battles of [[Battle of Roanoke Island|Roanoke Island]] and [[Battle of Elizabeth City|Elizabeth City]] in February 1862. Escaping the Confederate defeat at Elizabeth City via the Dismal Swamp Canal, ''Beaufort'' reached [[Norfolk, Virginia]], where she joined the [[James River Squadron]].

On March 8, 1862, ''Beaufort'' served as an escort and [[ship's tender]] for the [[ironclad]] [[CSS Virginia|CSS ''Virginia'']] at the [[Battle of Hampton Roads]]. In April, she supported the Confederate defense of [[Yorktown, Virginia]], before the Confederates withdrew up the [[Virginia Peninsula]]. Before the [[Battle of Drewry's Bluff]] in mid-May 1862, ''Beaufort'' was ordered upriver and was mostly inactive until mid-1864. With Union troops having moved upriver, ''Beaufort'' saw some action, including bombarding the [[Fort Harrison]] area after Union troops had captured it. However, the ship was hampered with an understrength crew, as much of her crew had been transferred to North Carolina or to land fortifications along the James River. In January 1865, ''Beaufort'' was part of the Confederate advance before the [[Battle of Trent's Reach]], but ended up spending hours trying to free the ironclad [[CSS Virginia II|CSS ''Virginia II'']] after the latter had [[run aground]]. On the night of April 2/3, after the fall of [[Richmond, Virginia]], the Confederates scuttled the ships of the [[James River Squadron]], but ''Beaufort'' failed to sink. Captured by Union forces, ''Beaufort'' was sold in September 1865. As a civilian merchant vessel, she was renamed ''Roanoke'' and was converted into a [[barge]] in 1878.