Naval tactical tricks and material innovations

Ironclader

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Jul 12, 2015
Location
Rocklin, CA
James R. Arnold's "Grant Wins the War", in describing Adm. Porter's passage of Vicksburg (page 75), listed a number of means to protect the ships and increase their stealth:
* divert exhaust steam into paddle wheel housing to muffle engine noise
* offload all animals to assure silence
* lash coal barges to the side facing enemy fire to protect hulls
* stack hay and cotton bales and sand bags around machinery and magazines
* buttress thin stern armor with logs and wet hay bales
* double-bale bulwarks on frail transports.

Maintaining return fire shrouded the ironclads in smoke, causing the rebels to fire high. And during the later passage of empty transports, still winds improved screening by emitted steam.

Just off-hand, I can think of other ad hoc defensive innovations during the naval war:
* Adm. Farragut habitually lashed a smaller ship to the sheltered side of his sloops-of-war when passing batteries, for their protection and as backup propulsion.
* Capt. Winslow armored USS Kearsarge's machinery with draped anchor chain. Sometimes such chain armor was boxed over.
* Ellet and Porter had ironclad casemates greased with lard to foil boarding attempts.

Can forum members come up with other "after-market" methods to improve upon a CW warhip's effectiveness or gain a tactical advantage?
 
Interestingly, of the list you mention in connection with Porter and Vicksburg, everything except the animals part describes how the crew of the Carondelet prepared to run the Island #10 batteries.

There were a number of "after-market" alterations made to the Pook Turtles that I am aware of. Most of these were up to the individual commanders to find the time and materials to accomplish... First, after the Essex's experience at Fort Henry, a number of the boats built an "internal casemate" to further protect the vulnerable steam drum. Walke considered this precaution to have helped save the Carondelet in her slugging match with Arkansas. (I do not know offhand if Mound City was protected in this fashion-- her steam drum blew up after being perforated by Confederate shot at St. Charles up the White River, with catastrophic results.) To this day, at Vicksburg, you can see how the Cairo had railroad T-rails bolted on to its casemate on the sides of the casemate toward the bow; and most of the boats also took to hanging large logs over the sides as additional protection against ramming (presumably only when stationary, though). One of the turtles had an armored rifleman's redoubt built on top of her wheelhouse by the time of Red River... can't recall if that was Louisville or Cincinnati.

I'm not aware of camouflage paint being used on anything except blockade runners, which were usually a light lead color that faded in easily with the twilight and haze.

It was a long-standing tradition, going back considerably before the American navy, to take extra measures to safeguard a ship and give her an edge in battle. The captain took this as his responsibility, as the ship's safety was his...
 
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