Bankhead entered the navy in August 1838 at the age of 17. His first ship was the frigate , and his early career was spent with the
United States Coast Survey in the Carolinas. He was promoted to
passed midshipman on 20 May 1844. While in
Vera Cruz during the Mexican–American War, Bankhead served under his father. He was later promoted to
master on 8 May 1851 and
lieutenant on 7 April 1852. After the Confederates fired on
Fort Sumter and President Lincoln's declaration of a
blockade, Bankhead was ordered to , a side-wheel steamer carrying fifteen guns launched in 1850. On May 16
Pembina arrived off Charleston and Bankhead was ordered by the senior officer present, Commander
John B. Marchand, to determine if the water over the bar at the entrance to the
Stono River was deep enough to allow his warships to cross over. Throughout the summer of 1862, Bankhead remained on blockade duty near Charleston. Orders were issued on December 24, 1862, for
Monitor to move to
Beaufort, North Carolina, to join and . There the ship would join the blockade off Charleston. On Christmas Day
Monitor was ready for sea, but because of stormy weather and rough seas the departure was delayed until 29 December. The actual orders were received on Christmas Day as the crew were celebrating the holiday aboard
Monitor at Hampton Roads in what was described as a most merry fashion while many other celebrations were occurring along the shore. Bankhead paid the ship's cook one dollar to prepare a meal for the crew befitting the day, however it was received with mixed opinion. That day,
Monitor was made ready for sea, her crew under strict orders not to discuss the impending voyage with anyone. but bad weather delayed her departure until 29 December. On December 31, 1862, a storm hit seas off Cape Hatteras, and
Monitor, under tow by
Rhode Island.
Monitor was soon in trouble as the storm increased in ferocity, large waves splashing over and completely covering the deck, flooding into the vents and ports. She began rolling uncontrollably in the high seas. Sometimes she would drop into a wave with such force the entire hull would tremble. Leaks were beginning to appear everywhere. Bankhead ordered the engineers to start the
Worthington pumps, which temporarily stemmed the rising waters, but soon
Monitor was hit by a squall and a series of violent waves and water continued to work its way into the hull. When the Worthington pump could no longer control the flooding, a call came from the engine room that water was gaining there. Realizing the ship was in serious trouble, Bankhead signaled
Rhode Island for help and hoisted the red lantern next to
Monitors white running light atop the turret. He then called for volunteers and ordered the towline cut and the anchor dropped to stop the ship's rolling and pitching, with little effect, making it no easier for the rescue boats to get close enough to receive her crew. Acting Master Stodder, along with crewmates John Stocking, and James Fenwick volunteered and climbed down from the turret, but eyewitnesses said that as soon as they were on the deck Fenwick and Stocking were quickly swept overboard and drowned. Stodder managed to hang onto the safety lines around the deck and finally cut through the towline with a hatchet. At 11:30 p.m. Bankhead ordered the engineers to stop engines and divert all available steam to the large Adams centrifugal steam pump; but with reduced steam output from a boiler being fed wet coal it too was unable to stem the rapidly rising water. After all steam pumps had failed, Bankhead ordered some of the crew to man the hand pumps and organized a
bucket brigade, but to no avail. Despite a prolonged and desperate rescue effort,
Monitor was finally overwhelmed, foundered and sank approximately southeast off Cape Hatteras with the loss of sixteen men, including four officers, some of whom remained in the turret and went down with the ironclad. A total of forty-seven men were rescued by the life boats from
Rhode Island. Bankhead survived the ordeal and was the last man to abandon the ship, After his initial recovery, Bankhead filed his official report, as did the commanding officers of the
Rhode Island, stating officers and men of both
Monitor and
Rhode Island did everything within their ability to keep
Monitor from sinking. The Navy did not find it necessary to commission a board of inquiry to investigate the affair and took no action against Bankhead or any of his officers.
Command of USS Otsego After surviving the ordeal with the loss of
Monitor during the fall and early winter months of 1863–1864, Bankhead recovered slowly. He finally requested active duty in January 1864 and on February 3 was given command of the new double ender side-wheel gunboat . The ship was commissioned in the spring and reached Hampton Roads by 24 May 1864.
Otsego was assigned to the
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron with her station to be the North Carolina sounds. On June 21 Bankhead was given command of Union naval forces in the sounds. His major responsibility was capturing or destroying the Confederate ironclad ram up the
Roanoke River. In April Confederate troops assisted by
Albemarle had seized and were now occupying
Plymouth, North Carolina, a few miles up the Roanoke. On 5 May
Albemarle descended the river and attacked Union gunboats in the sound in an engagement that lasted nearly three hours. The Confederate vessel, badly damaged and in need of repairs, returned to Plymouth. Throughout the summer months it was feared that she would again attempt to enter the sounds and Bankhead, with
Otsego and four additional gunboats, guarded the river's mouth. Sometime in the late summer he was detached from
Otsego, probably because of poor health.
Command of USS Wyoming was transferred to the
Asiatic Squadron, and Bankhead was promoted to captain on 25 July 1866 and remained in command until 1867, when due to poor health he requested to be relieved of duty. He died on April 27, 1867, off Aden on the Bengal steamer
Simla, on his way home to the United States. Bankhead ended the war still in command of
Wyoming, which was stationed in the Pacific searching for ==See also==