What is this?

[Bentonville]

So I ran across this in a random search while goofing around. I can't have been the first person to see it & I'm certainly not sure if it's mislabeled or a full on gaff.

 

[Manassas 1861]

So I ran across this in a random search while goofing around. I can't have been the first person to see it & I'm certainly not sure if it's mislabeled or a full on gaff.

View attachment 502509

That's a Confederate david class torpedo boat, nicknamed the "cigar boat". The original CSS David was made famous for its attack on the USS "New Ironsides" in 1864.

 

[Bentonville]

That's a Confederate david class torpedo boat, nicknamed the "cigar boat". The original CSS David was made famous for its attack on the USS "New Ironsides" in 1864.

I got you. I looked it up. Apparently a raider of some sort.

 

[Manassas 1861]

 

[rebelatsea]

From my notes this was 160ft x 11ft 7 ins
Bow solid, reinforced for ramming.

No 6	Built 1864-65 captured incomplete at Fall of Charleston. John Littlefield may have more information.

 

[USS ALASKA]

All, please see DAVID AND THE DAVID-CLASS OF AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ERA TORPEDO BOATS OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA by JOHNNY DWAYNE LITTLEFIELD ... https://civilwartalk.com/threads/theres-a-new-doc-in-town.169735/page-2#post-2687558 ... starting on page 179 - "Other Non-David-style Fusiform Boats"

HTHs,
USS ALASKA

 

[Bentonville]

Thanks for the responses. This had me thinking about those rumors of 'submersibles' in Louisiana.

Of course not being familiar with the David I thought, "Holy smokes! They were building a Tambor class boat."

My imagination gets tye vest of me.

 

[Old Soldier]

Just for those wondering what the **** they are talking about:

It is classed as a 'semi-submersible spar torpedo ram' - the 'torpedo' is the explosive charge on the end of that long pole. They were inshore boats, generally used against blockading vessels, particularly ironclads. They were very hard to see at night and poor visibility which gave them the advantage to get close enough to ram.

The photo at the top of this thread is a much larger boat found after Federal forces captured Charleston in February 1865. It is an enlarged 'David-type' semi-submersible, with a length of about 160 ft but designed as a cargo-carrying blockade-runner which would have sailed in at night.