He was not onboard when sunk having been shipped off a few months before because of wounds suffered earlier.

Of further interest, he had originally been a member of the 23rd Illinois regiment which was captured at Lexington early in the war.
After being exchanged, he enlisted in the Navy. On recovering from his wounds, he wound up with the 54th Massachussetts.

July, 1864, his originally regiment, the 23rd Illinois was decimated in the Battle of Kernstown in the Shenandoea Valley. My ggrandfather
stood opposite in the Confederate lines!!