NOVEMBER 27TH, 1864: An explosion and fire destroyed General Benjamin Butler's headquarters steamer Greyhound, on the James River, Virginia, and narrowly missed killing the general, Major General Schenck and Rear Admiral Porter, on board for a conference on the upcoming Fort Fisher expedition.
Because of the nature of the explosion, it is likely that one of the deadly Confederate coal torpedoes had been planted in the Greyhound's boiler.
Butler recalled: "The furnace door blew open and scattered coals throughout the room."
Coal torpedoes were finely turned pieces of cast iron containing ten pounds of powder and made to resemble closely a lump of coal, and was capable of being used with devastating effect.
Rear Admiral Porter later described the event: "We had left Bermuda Hundred five or six miles behind us when suddenly an explosion forward startled us, and in a moment large volumes of smoke poured out of the engine room."
He continued: "In devices for blowing up vessels the Confederates were far ahead of us, putting Yankee ingenuity to shame."
Coal torpedoes are suspected as being the cause of several unexplained explosions during the war. I know that is one possible reason for the explosion and sinking of the tragic SS Sultana six months later.
Who Knows, Maybe a Left-Over Confederate Coal Torpedo Was Responsible for the Sinking of the USS Maine in 1898? --Old B-R'er
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