the Southern batteries, enabling Bombshell to dash down to safety. The air was rife with rumors that Rebel ironclad ram CSS Albemarle was ready to descend the Roanoke River to destroy the Union warships in the sounds. On the afternoon of April 17, Confederate ground forces attacked Plymouth with artillery and musketry. The Union gunboats in the vicinity helped to defend the town for the remainder of the day and throughout the next. That night, in anticipation of an attack by Albemarle, Southfield was brought alongside , and the two ships were lashed together for mutual protection and concentration of firepower. Before dawn on the morning of April 19, Albemarle emerged from the Roanoke. Miami and Southfield raced toward her. When the three ships collided, the ram scraped across Miami's bow, smashed through Southfield's starboard side, and pierced the wooden gunboat's boiler. For a moment, both Miami and Albemarle were entangled with the fatally wounded double-ender. The forward ropes which had lashed Southfield to Miami were snapped by the collision, and the aft lines were cut by Miami'''s crew. Albemarle had a harder time extricating herself from her bested and rapidly sinking adversary. Before she could pull free from the wreck by backing her engines, the ram had taken on so much water that her forward deck was too far depressed to permit her to overtake Miami or to let her guns open fire on the departing side-wheeler. Thus, in sinking, Southfield'' saved her consort. References Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Brooklyn Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Shipwrecks in rivers Shipwrecks of the American Civil War 1857 ships Maritime incidents in April 1864 Ships sunk in collisions