View source for Charles W. Van Rensselaer

{{Short description|American sailor lost at sea (1823–1857)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Charles W. Van Rensselaer
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Charles Watkins Van Rensselaer
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1823|1|29}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1857|9|12|1823|1|29}}
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| nationality = American
| known_for =
| occupation = [[Ship's officer]]
| parents = [[John Sanders Van Rensselaer]]<br>Ann Dunkin
| relatives = [[Killian K. Van Rensselaer]] (grandfather)
| module =
{{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance = {{Flag|United States of America|1857}}
| branch = {{flag|United States Navy|1857}}
| serviceyears =
| rank = [[Chief mate|First officer]]
}}
}}
'''Charles Watkins Van Rensselaer''' (January 29, 1823 – September 12, 1857) was the [[Chief mate|first officer]] and paymaster serving on board the U.S. mail ship known as the ''[[SS Central America|Ship of Gold]]'', when it was lost during a hurricane in September 1857.
==Early life==
Charles Watkins Van Rensselaer was born on January 29, 1823.  He was the third son and fourth child of Judge [[John Sanders Van Rensselaer]] and Ann ({{nee|Dunkin}}) Van Rensselaer.<ref name="NYTObit"/>  As a youth, he attended [[The Albany Academy]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=eccyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA133 ''Celebration of the Semi-Centennial Anniversary of the Albany Academy'']; via google books; retrieved 2013</ref>
Charles was the grandson of attorney [[Killian K. Van Rensselaer]], a [[United States Federalist Party|Federalist]] politician who served in the [[United States Congress]] as a [[United States House of Representatives |Representative]] from the [[New York (state)|state of New York]].<ref name="Bielinski">{{cite web | last1=Bielinski| first1=Stefan| title=Kiliaen K. Van Rensselaer| url=https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/vr/kvr5092.html| website=nysm.nysed.gov| publisher=[[New York State Museum]]|accessdate=6 February 2017}}</ref> His siblings were: Dunkin H., Maunsell, Margaretta, Ann Elizabeth, Lydia, Harriet Letitia, Samuel Watkins, Catherine, and Louisa.<ref name="Maunsell" /><ref name="NYTObit">{{cite news | title=Charles W. Van Rensselaer| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1857/10/02/archives/charles-m-van-rensselaer.html| accessdate=9 February 2017| work=[[The New York Times]]| date=2 October 1857}}</ref>
==Career==
Van Rensselaer served for a short time as a lieutenant in the [[Internal Revenue Service|United States Revenue Service]] until a reduction of officers was implemented. Before the ''SS George Law'' was renamed, the position of first officer was filled by Van Rensselaer.<ref name="NYTObit" />
Author Maunsell van Rensselaer, Charles' brother, had an opportunity to be a passenger during this period. He described his brother as the person who fulfilled his duties handily. On the occasion when the captain, [[William Lewis Herndon]] fell ill, a voyage from Aspinwall to New York was left entirely in the hands of Van Rensselaer. Reportedly, he handled the vessel so well that the passengers were completely unaware of the captain's condition. During the subsequent voyages, the captain was confident that his ship was in capable hands while he visited with the passengers. According to Maunsell, the captain once encouraged Charles to take his ship and explore any place that he wished.<ref name= "Maunsell">{{cite book | last1=Van Rensselaer| first1=Maunsell| title=Annals of the Van Rensselaers in the United States : Especially as they relate to the family of Killian K. Van Rensselaer.| date=1888| publisher=Albany, C. Van Benthuysen & sons|location=New York; [[Library of Congress]]; call number: b5253782| pages= | url=https://archive.org/details/annalsofvanrenss00vanr| accessdate=January 8, 2013}}{{rp|228}}</ref>
==Loss of the ''SS Central America''==
{{main|SS Central America}}
===Background===
Before construction of the [[Transcontinental railroad]] and the [[Panama Canal]], one of the few options for the efficient transportation of goods from the west to the east coasts of the United States involved the use of two sea routes: the Pacific route (usually shipping out of San Francisco) and the Atlantic route (usually shipping out of New York). Both of these routes used to terminate in [[Panama]], where ground transportation across the narrow [[Isthmus of Panama]] made commerce between the two routes simple and efficient. Formerly named the ''SS George Law'', ''SS Central America'' was operated by the [[U.S. Mail Steamship Company]], the [[Paddle steamer|side wheel steamer]] ''SS Central America'', was the "multiple use" sea vessel used for passengers and government contracted cargo.<ref name="LOSS">[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1857/09/21/78506446.pdf ''Loss of the Central America'']; September 21, 1857 ''[[The New York Times]]'' article; retrieved 01/08/2013.</ref>
===Sinking===
On September 3, 1857, the ''SS Central America'' left [[Colón, Panama]], for a port of call at [[Havana, Cuba]]. The ship was heavily loaded with about 10 tons of gold (in various forms ranging from coins, bars, and nuggets, to bags of dust). After leaving Havana, on the final leg of its voyage to New York, the ship encountered an estimated [[1850–1859 Atlantic hurricane seasons#Hurricane Two 3|category 2 hurricane]] on September 9, at approximately {{convert|160|mi|km}} off the coast of [[Charleston, South Carolina]].<ref name="LOSS" /> High winds destroyed the sails and the steamer began taking on water. Over the next three days, the ''SS Central America'' sustained increasing damage as all efforts to bail-out water were futile due to failed pumps and the rough weather. The majority of the survivors, including all the women and children, were rescued from lifeboats and taken to shore by two passing vessels. An estimated 425 of the 578 passengers and crew perished. Survivor accounts credit Captain [[William Lewis Herndon|Herndon]] and first officer, Van Rensselaer, for their heroic efforts as they helped the women and children into the few available lifeboats.
===Death of Van Rensselaer===
One survivor of the disaster was [[Second mate|Second officer]] Frazer who related that Herndon and Van Rensselaer did all that could be done. Knowing the ship would soon sink, they made their way to their staterooms, donned their uniforms, and made their way back to their post on the paddle box as the ship sank. Frazer attempted to rescue Van Rensselaer, but he refused to leave the Captain in peril.<ref name= "Maunsell" />{{rp|228}} A contemporary article in ''The New York Times'' listed 124 known survivors. It reported many statements praising the two officers.<ref name= "LOSS" />
==Afterward==
This ship has since been referred to as the 'Ship of Gold'. A modern-day search resulted in its [[SS Central America#Search and discovery|discovery in 1987]].<ref name="LOSS"/><ref>[http://www.shipofgold.com/disaster.html ''Disaster'']; at shipofgold.com, retrieved 2013</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* '''Bonney, Catharina Visscher''' (Van Rensselaer); [https://archive.org/details/legacyofhistoric01bonnl ''A legacy of Historical Gleanings'']; article (from an old catalog); p.&nbsp;291; retrieved 01/08/2013; [[Library of Congress]]; call number: 10085069.
{{RensselaerFamily}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Rensselaer, Charles W.}}
[[Category:1823 births]]
[[Category:1857 deaths]]
[[Category:The Albany Academy alumni]]
[[Category:American sailors]]
[[Category:American people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Deaths in tropical cyclones]]
[[Category:Deaths due to shipwreck at sea]]
[[Category:Van Rensselaer family]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]