Two submarine boats

[Barrycdog]

I wonder what two submarine boats were burned?

Southern Confederacy, Feb. 13, 1862 -- page 3

Memphis February 11 - Heavy Losses of steamboats on the Tennessee River have occurred in consequence of the invasion. The Confederate Gunboats Lexington, Conestoga and Samuel Orr, with 170 pounds of powder and two submarine boats, were set fire to ten miles above the Tennessee river at three o'clock Friday Evening.

The boats Appleton, Bellelynne and Boyd were burnt bu Confederates, who moved up the duck river, out of the way of Federals, in the Steamers, Sam Kirkman, Julius and Time.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

They might not have been "submarines" in the modern sense. Wrecking boats with diving bells and other apparatus to raise or salvage sunken vessels were often called "submarines" as well, the most notable being James B. Ead's powerful wrecker Submarine No. 7, which was converted into the ironclad Benton.

 

[AndyHall]

Mark's right about wrecking and salvage vessels being referred to as "submarine" craft, but also, the Southern Confederacy story may be garbled, further confusing things. Here's an item describing the same event from the Augusta, Georgia Daily Constitutuionalist of February 12, referencing "submarine batteries," which I take to be what we would now call mines:

Expired Image Removed

 

[Barrycdog]

I was imagining something like the Pioneer or the Hunley.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Aha! No, Andy's right. It's a reference to torpedoes/mines. (A mistaken one, as well.)

 

[AndyHall]

There were all manner of submarine projects proposed, so such efforts could turn up almost anyplace where there's a water threatened by "Mr. Linkum's gunboats."