A List of Ten Historical Works that Mention USS Keokuk, Part One
USS Keokuk , propelled by twin screws and armed with two 11-inch Dahlgren guns as well as a ram, was an ironclad that served in the United States Navy during the War of the Great Rebellion. The steam battery was assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and was ordered to buoy the Charleston bar on the 6th of April, 1863, by Rear-admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont. USS Bibb , a United States Coastal Survey vessel, assisted the ironclad while two monitors of the Passaic class guarded the buoys during the night. USS Keokuk joined USS New Ironsides and seven Passaic-class monitors during the first bombardment of Fort Sumter on the 7th of April, 1863, but withdrew after its hull was perforated by Confederate shot. The First Battle of Charleston Harbor, as the bombardment is also known, caused some interested parties to question the effectiveness of iron-plated warships. Lieutenant-Commander Alexander Colden Rhind, who commanded USS Keokuk during the battle, lost faith in ironc