The David-Class Torpedo Boats

[Barrycdog]

CSS David..
The David-Class Torpedo Boats

The Hunley was not the only vessel of exotic design intended to attack the Union blockade fleet. The "Davids" were Confederate steam-powered torpedo boats, designed by David Chenoweth Ebaugh.. The first, the David, apparently got her name from the bible story of David and Goliath -- with the U.S. Navy blockade fleet in the role of Goliath. The cigar-shaped David looked like a modern submarine with a smokestack attached, but she was a surface ship, with an open cockpit. Designed to operate semi-submerged so as to provide as small a target as possible, the David was to attack under cover of darkness by ramming a barbed spar with a "torpedo" or bomb on it into the side of an enemy ship, then escaping. It was the same attack plan used by the Hunley. The CSS David attacked and damaged the ironclad USS New Ironsides on October 5, 1863, but was swamped by the explosion of her own torpedo and barely escaped herself.

Several other David-class vessels were built, but it is unclear how many, and there are only sketchy records of their operation. There do not seem to have been any other even partially successful attacks. It is possible that the David or one of her sisters served as a tender for the Hunley, towing the hand-cranked sub during some training exercises, or even out on the first leg of attack runs, so as to conserve the crew's strength. The two vessels were of similar size, and used the same weapon -- a spar torpedo rammed into the enemy ship.
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[Barrycdog]

CSS David attacks Federal ship in Charleston Harbor 5 October 1863
Also known as "the little david", the Davids were small steam powered torpedo boats that operated around Charleston about the same time as the Hunley. In fact, one was sometimes used as a towing vessel for the Hunley.

The David was conceived and designed by Dr. St. Julian Ravenel, who recruited David Ebaugh to build her. She was privately funded and built at Stoney Landing up on the Cooper river, out of view of the many Northern spies in Charleston.

The David was designed to ride very low in the water and attack by ramming a spar torpedo. However, she was not a submarine- she had an open cockpit and was powered by a small steam boiler. Some books claim that the Davids used water filled ballast tanks to ride low in the water, however, the builder described filling the hull with thousands of pounds of iron to lower the water line.

The David made a somewhat successful attack against the federal New Ironsides; at least damaging her enough to cause her to withdraw and make repairs. This was the first successful torpedo attack in history. The original David almost made history again with a bold attack on a Federal ironclad on the Stono river, however its torpedo failed to detonate.

Several other Davids were built, although sources conflict on the actual number (anywhere from 4 to 50!). Ebaugh built two more Davids himself and described several more built by others with his original plans. He also was building two more: a 100 ft long version and a 163 ft long version. The former was burned during the evacuation of Stoney Landing and the latter was captured by Federal forces at Charleston. Pictures that appear to represent the large Davids have been found at the Navy Historical Site, but due to the lack of information for these, I can only speculate on the facts involved. I suspect that the 100 ft David was burned as Ebaugh claimed, and these two pictures are of the same 163 ft David, the first at Charleston, unfinished, the second at a northern shipyard as it would likely have been refitted and tested, as many captured vessels were.
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[Barrycdog]

On Oct. 5, 1863, the Confederate ship David seriously damaged ironclad steamer New Ironsides with a spar torpedo off Charleston, South Carolina. Though not sunk, she had to leave the blockade for repairs at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In December 1866, New Ironsides was accidentally destroyed by fire.

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USS New Ironsides (1862-1866) being rammed by CSS David on 5 October 1863. NHHC Photograph Collection, NR&L Files, Ships.

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USS New Ironsides (1862-1866). Line engraving published in "The Soldier in Our Civil War", Volume II, page 182, depicting the ship as she appeared during most of her operational career, without sailing rig. NHHC Photograph Collection, NH 58743.

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USS New Ironsides (1862-1866). Photograph, somewhat retouched, taken during the Civil War era, while the ship was carrying full sail rig.
Courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Center, Personal Papers Section: Collection of Henry Clay Cochrane. NHHC Photograph Collection, NH 95018.

 

[rebelatsea]

Here's a a list I assembled some years ago, It hasn't copied very well from the original format
I've not done any further research due to work on the ironclads,



SPAR TORPEDO BOATS

DAVID TYPE

single screw, 40 - 60 ft x 5.5 - 6ft,
crew 5, speed 10 knots.Armament: 1 x 50 -100pdr spar torpedo and small arms. Protected against small arms fire. Could carry up to 6 spare warheads.

David


Builder, David Ebaugh,designer Theodore Stoney & Julian Ravenal, constructed at Charleston SC in 1863, seriously dmaged USS New Ironsides in October 1863, unsuccessfully attacked USS Memphis, March 6th , and USS Wabash April 19th 1864

Midge


Built at Columbia & Charleston SC, captured and taken to Brooklyn navy yard.



50ft x 5.5ft

Nos 1 -5

& 7 - 8


Built 1864 -5 at Charleston SC. Captured at fall of Charleston,

one lost at sea, others taken to Annapolis and Brooklyn Navy Yards.

100ft x 10ft
Destroyed at Stoney landing Sc,

160ft x 11ft 7 ins
No 6


Built 164-65 captured incomplete at Fall of Charleston.

Both built by David Ebaugh (to his own design?), Bow solid reinforced for ramming..

Steel hull ,60ft x 12ft x 7ft, 2 screws, 10knots

6 un-named


Ordered by Navy Secretary Mallory August 1864 ,building at Mare & co Millwall, London. Never delivered. (Sold to Russia?)


160ft X 28ft X 11ft

steam, 1 screw, 2ft freeboard, 4 tube mounted spar torpedoes, 1 each bow & stern, port & starboard

1 un-named


Selma Alabama 1863

1 un-named


Wilmington Nc. 1863



Dimensions unknown

2 Un-named Built at Mars Bluff Navy Yard Sc. At least one sent to Charleston, final fates unknown.


2 un- named Built at Wilmington for the CSA, destroyed by accidental fire






SQUIB TYPE TORPEDO LAUNCHES



Surface picket / patrol / torpedo boat, steam, single screw. Crew 12 speed 10 - 11 knots, 46ft x 6ft 3 ins x 3ft 9 ins.

Armament : 1 - 18ft 50pdr spar and small arms.

Designed by William Graves

Hornet


Built at Richmond Va 1862 - 64, sunk in collision with CSS Allison

January 26th 1865.

Scorpion


Built at Richmond Va, completed 1864, tooke part in the attack on city point 23 -24th January 1865, burned after grounding.

Squib


Built at Richmond Va, successfully torpedoed USS Minnesota April 9th 1864, sent by rail to Wilmington Nc, destroyed Jan / Feb 1865

Wasp Built at Richmond Va. Career details unknown


Un-named

Built at Mobile Ala, career details unknown

Un-named

Built at Mars Bluff Navy yard Sc . Completed February 1865, fate unknown.

Viper

Building at Columbus Ga, captured complete, lost at sea May 26 1865

Un- named

Building at Columbus Ga, fate unknown.

Un-named

Building at Wilmington, destroyed by accidental fire.



40 -50ft x 5 - 6ft x 3 ft,

crew 15. 2 -12pdr howitzers, 1 spar torpedo

Nos 1 -4


Building at Richmond Va, engines sent through the blockade, September 1864, uncertain if they ever arrived.

6 un-named


Building in various yards, engines, built by Clyde Bank Foundry, sent through the blockade, all sent from Mobile Ala to Yazoo river February 22nd 1865.



Dimensions uncertain,
4 x 40 -100 pdr spar torpedo, twin screws, 10 plus knots, with a 3ft draft crew 5

6 un-named


Contracted for August / September 1864.Built by Thorneycroft, Chiswick England , sold to Russia.



ROCKET TORPEDO BOAT


Designed by Colonel E H Angamer, this had twin hulls powered by oars with the rocket boat between them "drawing 18ft". It was completed by July 1863 at a cost of C$20,000. Further history unknown.



CONVERSIONS FROM MERCHANT STEAMERS


Equator


Sidewheel steamer, converted in Cape Fear river, burned at Wilmington 1865. One gun.



Gunnison


70ft x 15ft x 7ft, 54 tons, 2 - 6pdr, 1 - 150pdr spar torpedo. Crew 10 Converted at Mobile Ala in 1863, captured 1865.



Shrapnel


Screw steam tug converted at Richmond Va, burned April 1865



Torpedo


70ft x 16ft x 6ft 6 ins,
2 - 20pdr, 1 spar torpedo. Converted at Richmond Va. Partially burned in the James river April 4th 1865. Sent to Norfolk Navy Yard in damaged condition



Torch


110ft x 20ft ,Converted from an unfinished Maury gunboat by F.D.Lee CSN in 1863. Armed with 3 - 70pdr spar torpedoes on a 12ft spar, crew 11, speed 8 knots. She unsuccessfully attacked USS New Ironsides off Charleston Harbour August 20th 1863. Became rapidly worn out and discarded.



General Whiting


Converted at Point Peter on the Cape Fear River, either from an existing vessel or assembled from parts sent through the blockade

 

[Carronade]

This article on the double-ender gunboat Octorara includes an illustration of an attack by a Confederate torpedo boat, unfortunately without detail. I recall reading about this somewhere else; apparently one of Octorara's crewmen attempted to catch the Confederate craft.

 

[rebelatsea]

This article on the souble-ender gunboat Octorara includes an illustration of an attack by a Confederate torpedo boat, unfortunately without detail. I recall reading about this somewhere else; apparently one of Octorara's crewmen attempted to catch the Confederate craft.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Octorara_(1861)

is that the one where the guy is attempting to hold on the smokestack? I think that is alleged to be the St Patrick,
a submarine.

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

is that the one where the guy is attempting to hold on the smokestack? I think that is alleged to be the St Patrick,
a submarine.

It was Saint Patrick, made in Selma, but the vessel was a torpedo boat- not David-class, not a sub.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

I think much of the confusion surrounding the classification of some of these craft arises simply from their novelty at the time. Looking back from this end, the word "submarine" instantly brings to mind a modern "boomer" nuclear sub or a German U-boat, but the meaning seems clear: a powered vessel capable of operating completely submerged for an extended period of time. But in the 1860s, "submarine" meant merely "below the water" to most people-- hence James B. Eads' naming of his series of snag boats "Submarine No. 1," et. al. I've seen at least one well-meaning article call Eads a builder of submarines, which he was not-- he built vessels intended to support the removal of underwater obstructions, but they were clearly not submarines in the modern sense.

 

[5fish]

I found this there were money incentives in the balance for the people making the David torpedo boats and the Huntley ...

Stoney's and Ravenel's work may have been isolated, but there were others like James McClintock and Horace L. Hunley in Charleston busying themselves in constructing special "torpedo-boats" whose work "were curious things to a landsman's eye" in and around the city. As patriotic as they were, the private inventors also had a $100,000 incentive provided by Trenholm's company to sink New Ironsides or Wabash and $50,000 to sink any of the
monitors.

link... http://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/2013_10_01_archive.html

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

That's right. George Trenholm was the treasurer of the Confederacy and operated from Liverpool. His company, Trenholm , Fraser, and Co., had a branch in New York, Liverpool (England), and Charleston at the time of the war. The Charleston branch, John Fraser and Co., was the branch that offered the prize money and was headed by Theodore Wagner, who happened to also be the president of the Southern Torpedo Company- a company that was making torepdo boats to collect the reward money!