| History | |
|---|---|
 Confederate States | |
| Name | Beaufort |
| Namesake | Beaufort, South Carolina |
| Owner | James Cathcart Johnston |
| Builder | Pusey & Jones, Wilmington, Delaware |
| Launched | 1854, as the Caledonia |
| Commissioned | July 9, 1861 |
| Homeport | Edenton, North Carolina |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Screw steamer |
| Tonnage | 85 tons |
| Length | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Beam | 17 ft 5 in (5.31 m) |
| Depth of hold | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam engine, 1 propeller |
| Armament | 1 gun, later 2 guns |
The CSS Beaufort (/ˈbjuːfərt/ BEW-fert) was an iron-hull gunboat that served in North Carolina and Virginia during the American Civil War. Originally 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 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 Roanoke Island and 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 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 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.