rebelatsea
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2013
- Location
- Kent ,England.
Whatever port the two frigates used as a base would become the centre of a major fleet operation fairly quickly I should imagine.
Please remember Gents , that there were only two immediately available, even if they were two big relatively fast warships, the other vessels were still either in India or on their way back to England.
Had the CSN obtained, equipped, manned, and operated all ten, then we are talking a different scenario.
The short answer is no, without outside assistance.Could the CSN have equipped, manned, and operated all ten? That sounds like it would be a pretty major thing to bite off even if the "obtained" is fairly feasible given enough will (and British cooperation).
I'm really not seeing why a defensive force is needed on the Pacific coast or convoying or any other measures as if this suddenly makes the Confederacy a major naval power with a long reach.
These are not sounding like ideal cruisers from the comments of other users, and even if they could carry heavy firepower their ability to suck it up isn't especially awesome - so what's to stop them from being treated as any other short legged, overgunned (if simply chasing merchant ships) commerce raiders - and not as some kind of nightmare ships?'
The Spanish American war is vs. a considerably more threatening fleet than the CSA - even counting than one or two kinda underwhelming ships that can easily be blockaded in their home ports - had.
Tirpitz was a major problem if it got loose. These ships barely qualify as more problematic than any port which can hold them already is for blockade duty.
Sorry took so long to get back to you killed my back when my "3" year old snow blower conked out and the pain pills they give you do not really help (me anyways).
Yes and no. The Spanish Navy had a established fleet with a long history (just love
their old huge liners) but in truth, their ships were in marginal shape, the crews moral was poor, their commander did not believe he could win a battle and their newest cruiser carried wooden guns (10'' guns never placed on board). That said, it did not mean they would not fight, just look at their history, but if some one does not believe they can not win, they will not.
But that is the unknown factor, which no american knew at the time. The people of this country were ****** because (right or wrong) they believed the Spanish had destroyed the Maine and they wanted revenge. (but that is another story, forget that last part).
So lets head North, you are in Philie or Boston or Portland.........a port town walking to get a paper, you hear it before you turn the corner, groups of people standing around loudly talking, reading news papers, people rushing this way and that......you speed up wounding what is going on! Through the voices you pick up words.......attacked......burning.......destroyed....! Then you are close enough to hear NYC has been attacked! You snatch a news paper and quickly read the headlines "NYC attacked! Ships destroyed! (remenber these news papers were more like those check out rags of today who will say anything to sell a copy). We have a ft , is it armed? Are we going to be attacked next? ????????? Most people have no experience with military matters, so really do not know or understand,
Human nature Expect the worst. invent the worst if you don't know, believe rumors feed off other people's behaviors..........Not logical but true....
Trenholms bought Assaaye and Punjaub without authority from Stephen Mallory, who quite rightly didn't want them because a) they were too big and deep draught for southern ports and harbours, and b) paddle wheel seagoing warships were old technology. The 20 68pdrs that came with them were another thing entirely and some at least found their way to the South.
The disposition of their warships is a topic I've never run across.