Setting Torpedoes in Charleston Harbor

AndyHall

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Dec 13, 2011
Happened on this while looking for something else. New image to me. Harper's Weekly, June 13, 1863:

charleston-harbor-torpedoes.jpg


SINKING TORPEDOES AT CHARLESTON.

WE are indebted to the artist correspondent of a London illustrated paper [Russell?] for the picture on page 380, representing THE SINKING OF TORPEDOES BY MOONLIGHT IN THE HARBOR OF CHARLESTON. It seems that before the recent attack by Admiral Du Pont the rebel General Ripley spent several nights in filling the channel-way of the harbor with all manner of torpedoes and infernal machines, and on one of his expeditions the sympathizing Englishman was allowed to accompany him. Hence the picture.​

It was also published in the May 16, 1863 issue of the Illustrated London News:

ILNv42p532-533.jpg
 
That's quite the workboat and crane system they have there and a lot of people in all those boats. I wonder if it really took that many hands, or if everyone was terribly excited to be involved.
 
Andy, I've also just seen your post in another thread about towed torpedos. There must have been quite a number of unexploded torpedos in our coastal waters after the war. Do you have any information on how they were found, marked and eliminated? Were they detonated? If so, how was that accomplished? It must have taken nerves of steel.
 
Andy, I've also just seen your post in another thread about towed torpedos. There must have been quite a number of unexploded torpedos in our coastal waters after the war. Do you have any information on how they were found, marked and eliminated? Were they detonated? If so, how was that accomplished? It must have taken nerves of steel.
After harbors were taken, it often took weeks or months to clear the munitions. How they were disposed of, I'm not sure. From the Running the Blockade blog:

SEPTEMBER 13, 1864: Rear Admiral Farragut's sailors continued to clear the main ship channel at Mobile Bay of torpedoes such as the one that had sunk the USS Tecumseh on 5 August. He reported to Secretary Welles that 22 torpedoes had been raised.

He added: "This part of the channel is now believed to be clear, for, though beyond doubt many more were originally anchored here, report says they have sunk over one hundred to the bottom."

Despite his efforts, Union ships would be destroyed in the vicinity of Mobile Bay by torpedoes in the months to come.

One good thing, I suppose, is that CW munitions were generally black powder, and they had a terrible time keeping torpedoes watertight for long. So I imagine that after a few months, it wasn't much of a problem whether they found them or not.
 
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Placing mine could be deadly, too. From the New York Times, March 20, 1864:

GALVESTON, Wednesday, Feb. 17.

A terrible accident occurred yesterday morning, near Fort Point. A torpedo, about to be deposited in the bay, exploded in the hands of JOHN T. BARRON, from Falls County, belonging to Co. A., COOK’s regiment. Mr. BARRON’s left leg was shot off below the knee; his right hand shattered, requiring amputation; his clothes took fire and severely burnt his face and legs. The unfortunate man was sent to the hospital. He was still alive when last heard from.

Private J. W. Barron of Company I, of the 1st Texas Heavy Artillery (Cook’s Regiment), was a 42-year-old conscript from Falls County in central Texas, near present-day Waco. His brief compiled service record suggests he was enlisted on January 28, 1864, less than three weeks before the accident; perhaps his inexperience in handling mines contributed to the incident. We’ll never know.

Barron died in the General Hospital at Galveston on either February 23, as noted in his CSR, or February 25, according to the city’s interment record. He was buried on that latter date in potter’s field, which was standard practice for soldiers who died here during the war. Although the interment record lists Barron’s cause of death as “leg blown off,” the week or more between the date of the incident and his death suggests that he died not from circulatory shock, but from the complications of infection that typically accompanied traumatic amputation and burns in the 19th century.
 
That's quite the workboat and crane system they have there and a lot of people in all those boats. I wonder if it really took that many hands, or if everyone was terribly excited to be involved.

At least one of the torpedos is said to have weighed 3000 pounds. USS New Ironsides anchored right on top of it, but it failed to explode when the Confederates tried to set it off by electric wire from shore.
 
That's quite the workboat and crane system they have there and a lot of people in all those boats. I wonder if it really took that many hands, or if everyone was terribly excited to be involved.
In order for it to sink, the mine would have to weigh more than an equivalent volume of seawater. Recall that a cubic yard of water weighs upwards of a ton, and you're looking at a lot of mass there.

Added: Giving that cylinder in the image conservative dimensions of 2.5 feet diameter x 10 feet long, that's a volume of about 49 cubic feet (check my math). Seawater weighs about 64 lbs per cubic foot, so a cylinder like that would have to weigh more than 3,140 lbs just to sink at all -- and probably a good bit more than that to keep it in place.
 
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It was interesting to discover that one ancestor that was an Engineer by trade, but oddly enough was serving as an Infantry officer. He had been detached and was involved in the deploring of torpedo's all around Charleston. In the bay, navigable rivers and creeks etc. Much of it also mentioned much of the work was conducted under cover of darkness. He is mentioned many times in the OR's related to this activity.

Later in Spring of 1864 his command was transferred up to Virginia. Detached once again to work on the Confederate Countermine activities at Petersburg. Just to think if they had dug just a few more feet, he would have certainly secured a much higher level of fame.
 
Always liked that drawing of the hard hat diver pooping up out of the water and scaring the **** out of that guy in the boat. It was titled "placing torpedoes" or Laying torpedoes .........something like that.
 
Always liked that drawing of the hard hat diver pooping up out of the water and scaring the **** out of that guy in the boat. It was titled "placing torpedoes" or Laying torpedoes .........something like that.

I think I know the sketch you're talking about; it was one of Charles Ellery Stedman's, published in the book by Jim Dan Hill. I think the diver was cleaning the bottom of the monitor and Stedman showed him surfacing and scaring the bejeezus out of a "contraband" in a boat who was selling fruit to the monitor's crew. (I looked for this image not long ago in connection with a thread discussing 19th-century diving suits but I can't find an online version of it.)
 
I think I know the sketch you're talking about; it was one of Charles Ellery Stedman's, published in the book by Jim Dan Hill. I think the diver was cleaning the bottom of the monitor and Stedman showed him surfacing and scaring the bejeezus out of a "contraband" in a boat who was selling fruit to the monitor's crew. (I looked for this image not long ago in connection with a thread discussing 19th-century diving suits but I can't find an online version of it.)
That's the one! Have not seen it for a while either. Been trying to remember where that was. If I find it (and can get this *#%* computer fixed and fully working!) will post it!

GRIZZ
 
Should not say this, but have several photo's that relate to this post. (have someone visiting, this weekend, who might be able to fix this thing). So unless Murphy shows up. hopefully will be able to post pictures ect.
 
Happened on this while looking for something else. New image to me. Harper's Weekly, June 13, 1863:

charleston-harbor-torpedoes.jpg


SINKING TORPEDOES AT CHARLESTON.

WE are indebted to the artist correspondent of a London illustrated paper [Russell?] for the picture on page 380, representing THE SINKING OF TORPEDOES BY MOONLIGHT IN THE HARBOR OF CHARLESTON. It seems that before the recent attack by Admiral Du Pont the rebel General Ripley spent several nights in filling the channel-way of the harbor with all manner of torpedoes and infernal machines, and on one of his expeditions the sympathizing Englishman was allowed to accompany him. Hence the picture.​

It was also published in the May 16, 1863 issue of the Illustrated London News:

ILNv42p532-533.jpg
Nice post! I knew nothing of that!
 
Was there any other victims of Confederate Torpedoes other than Techumsah and Cairo?
There were several...just off the top of my head Eastport, Baron deKalb, Osage and Harvest Moon.
All ironclads except for Harvest Moon.
Admiral Dahlgren was on board Harvest Moon at the time it struck a torpedo in Winyah Bay, SC.
 
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