Lisa Murphy
Corporal
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2019
- Location
- Washington State
Should be named "vanishing grey".There's a reason it's now called "haze gray."
Should be named "vanishing grey".There's a reason it's now called "haze gray."
So, didn't most of the exciting watching, waiting, etc during a run into port go on on the bridge deck between the paddleboxes? (up high where the view was excellent.) Staring at Andy's model, I do not see another helm fore or aft of the bridge helm, so I am not certain (being no sailor) which helm the bridge helm is (is this the aft helm?). Phantom's (most excellent) MA thesis on Blockade Runners mentions the aft helm as being a back up as sorts, in case the chains broke or etc at the other helm. (May seem like a persnickety little detail, but writing my current chapter with my captain at the helm during a sneak into port, I am trying to put his feet standing in the right place, with believable works/equipment around him. He is on a boat modeled after the Fergus. So thank you for letting me persist in this.)@DaveBrt is correct, those would all be grouped together, usually at the stern of the vessel near the head of the rudder There might be an additional binnacle (compass) and tubes on the bridge between the wheel boxes, where the all-around visibility was better. But I think that would be secondary to the primary station aft.
I'm not sure when engine telegraphs for relaying engine orders came into use, but I don't think they would be seen on (relatively) small vessels like these, regardless.
ETA: This contemporary illustration, showing John Newland Maffitt (dark clothing, center), shows a wheel positioned between the paddleboxes, but I believe that may be more conjectural than documentary.
View attachment 293915
I cannot answer your question with historical fact. But I have conned some dozen navy ships and I assure you that I would never accept the loss of forward vision that would be the result of being on the fantail with 2 paddle wheel boxes, one or two masts, one or two stacks, and a deck house blocking my view. I cannot believe that the normal conning position was anywhere but in the highest, most forward position -- between the paddle wheels.I
So, didn't most of the exciting watching, waiting, etc during a run into port go on on the bridge deck between the paddleboxes? (up high where the view was excellent.) Staring at Andy's model, I do not see another helm fore or aft of the bridge helm, so I am not certain (being no sailor) which helm the bridge helm is (is this the aft helm?). Phantom's (most excellent) MA thesis on Blockade Runners mentions the aft helm as being a back up as sorts, in case the chains broke or etc at the other helm. (May seem like a persnickety little detail, but writing my current chapter with my captain at the helm during a sneak into port, I am trying to put his feet standing in the right place, with believable works/equipment around him. He is on a boat modeled after the Fergus. So thank you for letting me persist in this.)
Yes, that seems logical to me, too, but as I have not had your extensive experience, I was not sure. Vision and quick reaction to what was seen were so crucial to survival in the runners.I cannot answer your question with historical fact. But I have conned some dozen navy ships and I assure you that I would never accept the loss of forward vision that would be the result of being on the fantail with 2 paddle wheel boxes, one or two masts, one or two stacks, and a deck house blocking my view. I cannot believe that the normal conning position was anywhere but in the highest, most forward position -- between the paddle wheels.
Yes, indeed. Good, good. And ... does anyone know how quickly a blockade runner (say, the Fergus as an example) might be able to go from forward to reverse? I have written my blockade runner into a very tight corner, and they need to back out, fast. Possible??I would only add that the master, pilot, or other officer conning the ship in a critical moment would probably not be in any one spot for very long. He would be moving continually back-and-forth from one end of the bridge wing to the other, to get the clearest view.
Reversing from full speed was difficult and hence unlikely. It took some time to get the command passed on, then acted upon by changing the link to reverse the engines, then slowing to a stop and reversing directions. From full speed near 20 miles an hour (Presto was the fastest runner of all) that would take several minutes. That is a long time under fire, time for at least two broadsides (3 minutes?). If all ships are at low speeds reversing engines would still take a minute or two to take effect. I don't remember reading of it ever happening. Chase narratives never mention reversing out of a problem, only turning away from them. Changing course however only took an instant to turn the wheel and a small lag while the ship starts to respond to the rudder angle.Yes, indeed. Good, good. And ... does anyone know how quickly a blockade runner (say, the Fergus as an example) might be able to go from forward to reverse? I have written my blockade runner into a very tight corner, and they need to back out, fast. Possible??
Yes, indeed. Good, good. And ... does anyone know how quickly a blockade runner (say, the Fergus as an example) might be able to go from forward to reverse? I have written my blockade runner into a very tight corner, and they need to back out, fast. Possible??
Yes, it was me. I'll post a picture when they arrive.Some lucky person snatched up those e-bay Fergus plans. I hope it was somebody here!
That ebay seller has sold several, I bet he can reprint them. Ask! (It is not me. nor anyone I know.) Plus, the Smithsonian NMAH Maritime Transportation plan folks sell them as well. The plans from each seem identical so the ebay seller may get them from NMAH. You might call Paul Johnston or Paula Johnston in the Transportation division.Some lucky person snatched up those e-bay Fergus plans. I hope it was somebody here!
I wonder if there was anyone in the war who ever had both...?
Pictures posted below. What a find!Yes, it was me. I'll post a picture when they arrive.
Thank You!! Lisa@Lisa Murphy
Another book that might be of value is...
'Mersey Built: The Role of Merseyside in the American Civil War' by Robert Thorp
View attachment 297889
‘Mersey Built’ chronicles the little-known commercial battle that raged between North and South during the American Civil War. The South relied on Europe for its military supplies, which the North tried to stop with a naval blockade of all Southern ports. The South retaliated by destroying Northern merchant ships on the high seas, using war ships, secretly procured from British shipyards and smuggled out of Britain by sympathetic British captains using British crews. The Charleston-based business empire headed by George Trenholm provided a conduit for Confederate finance with its Liverpool branch acting as bankers for the Confederacy’s procurement agents. Merseyside, with its extensive docks and numerous shipyards quickly became the epicenter of Confederate operations in Europe. Several British businessmen bought ships specifically to run supplies through the Union blockade, leaving relationships between the United States and Britain strained, close to breaking point.
The book relates the history of Trenholm’s commercial empire, its pre-war expansion into Liverpool and the pivotal role it played in supporting the Confederate war effort. The involvement of other Liverpool-based entrepreneurs and their successes and failures in blockade-running is described. Background histories of the Merseyside ship builders who constructed warships and blockade runners for the Confederacy are included as well as several mini-biographies of the Liverpool-based captains who smuggled out warships and braved the Union blockade. Details of each ship built on Merseyside for involvement in the Civil War are listed. The role of the United States consular service and its extensive, Liverpool-based, spy ring is described, as are the efforts of the United States ambassador in London to influence British government policy on neutrality.
The author, a direct descendant of a Liverpool ship builder, and a blockade-running captain, brings new insights and previously unpublished facts to light in this fascinating chapter of history.
Review
"The author has created an exciting amalgam of American maritime history and British business and commercial intrigue with a compendium of appropriate British shipbuilding of the day. These unlikely components are welded into a fascinating journey through the American civil war period. Well worth reading for those of diverse interests."
Alex Urquhart Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Naval Architecture – The Robert Gordon University, UK
About the Author
Robert (Bob) Thorp is a graduate of Reading University and has had a long and successful career in the international oil and gas industry. His interest in Merseyside's role in the American Civil War stems from ancestral links to Liverpool ship builders and master mariners. He is the great-great-great grandson of William Cowley Miller whose company built the C.S.S. Florida, the seized gunboat Alexandra, and a number of purpose-built blockade runners. He is also the great-great grandson of Miller's son-in-law, Captain James Alexander Duguid, who was the delivery commander of the C.S.S. Florida and captained several blockade runners, not least of which, the Lucy, was one of the most successful runners of the war. Bob has become internationally recognized as an authority on the Mersey built ships employed by the Confederacy and has been invited to present papers on the subject at the Museum of the American Civil War in Richmond, Virginia (2003) and at the prestigious McMullen Naval History Symposium at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland (2015). His book is the culmination of more than thirty years of research and contains many facts and insights not previously published.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1622732812/?tag=civilwartalkc-20&tag=civilwartalkc-20
1276
A bit pricey...
USS ALASKA