georgew
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2010
- Location
- southern california
The following was printed in the New York Times of May 1, 1864.
"United States Ship Wabash
Off Charleston, Tuesday, April 19, 1864
At 9 3/4 o'clock last night, while the Wabash was at anchor off Charleston Bar, the moon being but slightly obscured by clouds, a rebel torpedo-boat was distinctly seen about a hundred yards astern, approaching the ship's starboard quarter against wind and tide. The peculiar whale-backed shape of the object, with the small hatch amidships, was easily distinguished, as was the break of the water upon her sides, and left no doubt of the nature of the visitant. The alarm was instantly given, and the muskets of the lookouts at once fire at the enemy, while the broadside guns were being trained upon him. Find himself discovered, the enemy, no abreast of the mizzenmast and some seventy yards distant, turned in his course and made straight for the ship. The cable, however, had now been slipped, and the word given to the Engineer to "go ahead." Rapid discharges from the nine-inch guns, with solid shot dashing into the water all around him, again caused him to steer for the counter, hoping to put into operation the same tactics that had been so successful in the case of the Housatonic; but the motion of the propeller hereabout kept him off, and he was seen to pass across the wake of the ship. At this point he was so near that those who had only come upon deck at the giving of the alarm now saw him so plainly as to leave no doubt in their minds of his true character. The ship was kept under way in a circle, until her consorts, the Canandaigua and Flag, warned by her guns and signals, came to her assistance. The people of the Flag saw nothing in the water; but the wardroom officers of the Canandaigua are confident that they saw and fired into that or another torpedo boat, as well as the buoy of the Wabash's anchor. The officer of the deck at the time of this occurrence was by no means a novice in the matter or torpedoes, having made their acquaintance in February last, when the Housatonic was destroyed."
This is an interesting report as it indicates that the US Navy was still making the assumption that the Hunley attack was made by a David-class torpedo boat. The Confederate Army had at least two operational Davids at Charleston - perhaps the reports of their operations are to be found in the Engineering Department's files?
"United States Ship Wabash
Off Charleston, Tuesday, April 19, 1864
At 9 3/4 o'clock last night, while the Wabash was at anchor off Charleston Bar, the moon being but slightly obscured by clouds, a rebel torpedo-boat was distinctly seen about a hundred yards astern, approaching the ship's starboard quarter against wind and tide. The peculiar whale-backed shape of the object, with the small hatch amidships, was easily distinguished, as was the break of the water upon her sides, and left no doubt of the nature of the visitant. The alarm was instantly given, and the muskets of the lookouts at once fire at the enemy, while the broadside guns were being trained upon him. Find himself discovered, the enemy, no abreast of the mizzenmast and some seventy yards distant, turned in his course and made straight for the ship. The cable, however, had now been slipped, and the word given to the Engineer to "go ahead." Rapid discharges from the nine-inch guns, with solid shot dashing into the water all around him, again caused him to steer for the counter, hoping to put into operation the same tactics that had been so successful in the case of the Housatonic; but the motion of the propeller hereabout kept him off, and he was seen to pass across the wake of the ship. At this point he was so near that those who had only come upon deck at the giving of the alarm now saw him so plainly as to leave no doubt in their minds of his true character. The ship was kept under way in a circle, until her consorts, the Canandaigua and Flag, warned by her guns and signals, came to her assistance. The people of the Flag saw nothing in the water; but the wardroom officers of the Canandaigua are confident that they saw and fired into that or another torpedo boat, as well as the buoy of the Wabash's anchor. The officer of the deck at the time of this occurrence was by no means a novice in the matter or torpedoes, having made their acquaintance in February last, when the Housatonic was destroyed."
This is an interesting report as it indicates that the US Navy was still making the assumption that the Hunley attack was made by a David-class torpedo boat. The Confederate Army had at least two operational Davids at Charleston - perhaps the reports of their operations are to be found in the Engineering Department's files?
Bringing the