Why no balloon tenders?

[leftyhunter]

Has we know without radar , radios and aircraft blockade enforcement is no easy task. Of course in the ACW radios and radar were many decades away. On the other hand why would it not make sense to have balloon tenders. A balloon tethered to a tender can see much further then a sailor can in a crows nest. The Aeronaut can communicate with a nearby faster ship via signal flags or even colored flares. True high winds would be a safety factor but it isn't always too windy or raining. The tender can carry gas for the balloons.
So what am I missing?
Leftyhunter

 

[USS ALASKA]

So what am I missing?

The only thing I can think of sir, is that most voyages that were to terminate in Confederate ports made their last run-ins in darkness. The utility of balloons would have been minimal under those circumstances.

Of course, they could have dropped preemptive flares just to scare away those willing to try...and I have no idea what the level of flare development was at that time...
7

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[leftyhunter]

The only thing I can think of sir, is that most voyages that were to terminate in Confederate ports made their last run-ins in darkness. The utility of balloons would have been minimal under those circumstances.

Of course, they could have dropped preemptive flares just to scare those willing to try away...and I have no idea what the level of flare development was at that time...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

No doubt about the last 20 or so miles are made at night. Maybe the the balloons would be placed about twenty miles or so from the mouth of the blockade harbor.
I am surprised the USN didn't at least experiment with balloon tenders.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

The only thing I can think of sir, is that most voyages that were to terminate in Confederate ports made their last run-ins in darkness. The utility of balloons would have been minimal under those circumstances.

Of course, they could have dropped preemptive flares just to scare away those willing to try...and I have no idea what the level of flare development was at that time...
7

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

My understanding is that flares where very primitive back then . They didn't illuminate very well.
Leftyhunter

 

[USS ALASKA]

No doubt about the last 20 or so miles are made at night.

Sir, for vessels that could make 13 knots, start your run-in 80 to 100 miles out to sea and and get to Cape Fear at 5 in the AM - all under the cover of darkness. Much more surface area than the USN could cover, even with balloons.

I am surprised the USN didn't at least experiment with balloon tenders.

One more emerging technology, (among a few), that hadn't proven it's potential to the conservative minds of the DoD. And one not fully exploited - sort of - till WWII.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

My understanding is that flares where very primitive back then . They didn't illuminate very well.

In this circumstance, do you have to illuminate well? Or simply make the adversary think he is being illuminated? Capture / Run-aground / Turned-away all equals success to the blockaders.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[major bill]

How many clear nights were there? Rain, fog, clouds would all effect the usefulness of balloons.

 

[USS ALASKA]

How many clear nights were there? Rain, fog, clouds would all effect the usefulness of balloons.

...and the runners all knew phases of the moon and tide charts...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[leftyhunter]

Sir, for vessels that could make 13 knots, start your run-in 80 to 100 miles out to sea and and get to Cape Fear at 5 in the AM - all under darkness. Much more surface area than the USN could cover, even with balloons.



One more emerging technology, (among a few), that hadn't proven it's potential to the conservative minds of the DoD. And one not fully exploited - sort of - till WWII.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

Could a sail ship such has the blockade runner Star of India average 13 knots an hour? Ti give the Department of War credit they did fund iron clad monitors that were cutting edge technology of the mid Nineteenth Century. Of course we can't prove balloons would of worked but it would of been an interesting experiment.
BTW blimps were used with some success against U boats in WW1 and were quite useful in WW 2. Of course blimps are a whole lot more sophisticated then a hot air balloon.

In this circumstance, do you have to illuminate well? Or simply make the adversary think he is being illuminated? Capture / Run-aground / Turned-away all equals success to the blockaders.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

Not an expert but from what I gather the illumination lasted over briefly. Of course those more knowledgeable can weigh in.
Leftyhunter

 

[archieclement]

There were two, the George Washington Custis a converted coal barge for the union, the CSS Teaser for the CSA

 

[leftyhunter]

There were two, the George Washington Custis a converted coal barge for the union, the CSS Teaser for the CSA

Interesting so the idea of balloon tenders predates the ACW by 12 years but for some unknown reason the Union Navy didn't use it even in coastal waters. The question is why was the idea of balloon tenders not at least tried at on Confederate port?
Leftyhunter

 

[Carronade]

Also interesting that the first use of naval balloons was by the Austrians. They also pioneered the automobile or self-propelled torpedo; preliminary work was done by navy captain Giovanni Luppis and the operational weapon developed by Robert Whitehead in the Austrian port of Fiume. Clever, those Austrians; most people today don't even know they ever had a navy.

 

[thomas aagaard]

Clever, those Austrians; most people today don't even know they ever had a navy.

And they fought one of the few real naval battles with large numbers of ironclads on both sides...
At Lissa in 1866. (against Italy)

 

[James N.]

Interesting so the idea of balloon tenders predates the ACW by 12 years but for some unknown reason the Union Navy didn't use it even in coastal waters. The question is why was the idea of balloon tenders not at least tried at on Confederate port?
Leftyhunter

Balloon technology itself, while generally understood and somewhat appreciated, was simply too complex for the Confederacy on any practical scale.

 

[leftyhunter]

Balloon technology itself, while generally understood and somewhat appreciated, was simply too complex for the Confederacy on any practical scale.

I was thinking more about the USN using balloon tenders to detect blockade runners.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

Also interesting that the first use of naval balloons was by the Austrians. They also pioneered the automobile or self-propelled torpedo; preliminary work was done by navy captain Giovanni Luppis and the operational weapon developed by Robert Whitehead in the Austrian port of Fiume. Clever, those Austrians; most peopl
Leftyhunter

I thought the Austrian Hungarian Empire existed in the antebellum era but I was wrong.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

Balloon technology itself, while generally understood and somewhat appreciated, was simply too complex for the Confederacy on any practical scale.

Also interesting that the first use of naval balloons was by the Austrians. They also pioneered the automobile or self-propelled torpedo; preliminary work was done by navy captain Giovanni Luppis and the operational weapon developed by Robert Whitehead in the Austrian port of Fiume. Clever, those Austrians; most people today don't even know they ever had a navy.

To be fair during the ACW Austria was an Empire that included part of the coast line if what is now the nation of Croatia and the appear from an old map to have part of the coast line of what is now Italy. Austria took a big loss if Territory after WW1.
Leftyhunter

 

[James N.]

I was thinking more about the USN using balloon tenders to detect blockade runners.
Leftyhunter

It makes sense, but as usual the hidebound and entrenched military authorities of the North had no real interest in any technological advances - "Professor" T.S.C. Lowe had enough trouble and once his patrons McClellan and Hooker were gone the infant Balloon Corps was allowed to die in its cradle unmourned by authorities like Halleck and Stanton.

 

[CanadianCanuck]

It makes sense, but as usual the hidebound and entrenched military authorities of the North had no real interest in any technological advances - "Professor" T.S.C. Lowe had enough trouble and once his patrons McClellan and Hooker were gone the infant Balloon Corps was allowed to die in its cradle unmourned by authorities like Halleck and Stanton.

In fairness, the many 'obvious' technological marvels of the Civil War we look back on were anything but obvious at the time. For instance, repeating rifles - good idea in theory - but they use more ammunition and would be a nightmare to supply on an extended campaign for an army which was still making and equipping its men with primarily single shot rifles. Another is something like the Agar "Coffee Mill" gun, an early machine gun. It was prone to overheating, didn't really have anything like accuracy, and there wasn't any real doctrine for how to use something like it.

Lowe for instance, was still technically a civilian, which caused friction with his army superiors. He was allowed to boss around some soldiers, but he didn't easily integrate with the Volunteers or regulars. The other major problem with it was that he tended to feud with other aeronauts like LaMountain, which also damaged the corps reputation and effectiveness. This kind of friction made it slightly unpleasant for the army to deal with.

 

[CanadianCanuck]

Balloon tenders are, in theory, a good idea. In practice they wouldn't really stand up unless deployed in ideal conditions. The Balloon Corps had limited effectiveness in areas because the terrain simply didn't allow them to set up or have a useful vantage point, and at sea where the wind and the weather is more extreme the chances of accidents are far higher.

Like others have said too, the blockade runners tended to come at night, which means that the effectiveness of a balloon is really questionable overall. Maybe some experiments with directing artillery, but since we're still in the era of smokey powder with a literal fog of war, even that is questionable.