April 27, 1865: The Wreck and Disaster of the SS Sultana

APRIL 27TH, 1865:  The river steamer SS Sultana blew up in the Mississippi River above Memphis, Tennessee, killing 1,450 out of 2,000 passengers -- all but 50 of whom were former prisoners of war.  She was en route to Cairo, Illinois, when a violent explosion ripped her apart and turned her into a sheet of flame.

The cause of the explosion has never been determined, but one of the theories advanced was that of a coal torpedo -- such as the one that was suspected of having destroyed Army steamer Greyhound on 27 November 1864 -- had been slipped into the steamer's coal bin.

This was largely overlooked with all the Lee surrender, Lincoln assassination and pursuit of Booth.

A True Disaster.  --Old B-R'er

Butler's Steamship Greyhound: The End

Admiral Porter described the Greyhound in his memoirs as deserving "her name, for she was a long, lean-looking craft and the fastest steamer on the river."

But it was not the fastest steamer for much longer.

Porter continued in his memoirs and wrote about her last voyage, a few miles below Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, "a torpedo" blew out the engine room and set the ship afire, the admiral, general, their staffs and crew  barely escaping as the Greyhound was "wrapped in flames from one end to another" in a final"grand spectacle."

Some Southern saboteurs had planted one or more torpedoes in the bunkers disguised as chunks of coal, which the stokers dutifully shoveled into the fires.

Very Sneaky.  --Old B-Runner

November 27, 1864: Explosion and Fire Destroys General Butler's Headquarters Steamer Greyhound-- Part 1

NOVEMBER 27TH, 1864:  An explosion and fire destroyed General Butler's headquarters steamer Greyhound, on the James River, Virginia, and narrowly missed killing Butler, Major General Schenck and Rear Admiral Porter who were on board for a conference on the the upcoming Fort Fisher expedition.

Because of the nature of the explosion, it is likely that one of the deadly Confederate coal torpedoes was responsible and had been planted in the Greyhound's boiler.

"The furnace door blew open," recalled Butler, "and scattered coals throughout the room."

The so-called "coal torpedo" was a finely turned piece of cast iron containing ten pounds of powder and made  to closely resemble a lump of coal, and was capable of being used with devastating effect.

--Old B-Runer

The Sultana Disaster

APRIL 27TH, 1865:  Just a few earlier, the steamer General Lyon had caught fire off Cape Hatteras with around 550 dead, now this.  The river steamer Sultana blew up in the Mississippi River above Memphis, Tennessee, killing some 1450 of its 2,000 passengers-- all but 50 of them former prisoners of war.  She was en route to Cairo, Illinois, when a violent explosion ripped her apart and turned her into a sheet of flame..

The cause of the explosion was never determined, but one of the theories advanced was that a coal torpedo-- such as the one suspected of having destroyed the Army steamer Greyhound on 27 November 1864, had been slipped into the steamer's coal bin.

--Old B-Runner

General Butler's Headquarters Steamer Destroyed, Perhaps By a Coal Torpedo

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

A New Look at the Sultana Disaster-- Part 2: Reuben Hatch's Connection and Coal Torpedoes

Reuben Hatch had a long history of fraud and underhanded dealings in his position as a quartermaster  in the Union Army.  In the Sultana's case, he is the one responsible for the serious overloading as he received $5 per enlisted man and $10 an officer for his cut with boats to send just-released prisoners home.

The Mississippi River was running high due to flooding and more steam was needed to move the Sultana upriver.  In addition, with all those extra soldiers, it was quite top heavy.  There is evidence that the Sultana's boiler was not in the best condition to begin with and the extra stress would easily have caused an explosion.

Thomas Courtney invented the coal torpedo, of which there are just four still in existence.  As the name implied, coal torpedoes looked like a lump of coal and would be hidden in a ship's coal bunkers.  Strokers would just shovel it into the boilers and then there would be an explosion.

There is no evidence that this was caused by a coal torpedo.

--Old B-R'er

150 Years Ago-- March 9th, 1864: Confederate Secret Service

MARCH 9TH, 1864:

Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon, authorized Thomas E. Courtenay to employ "a band of men, not exceeding twenty-five in number, for secret service against the enemy.... For destruction of property of the enemy or injury done, a percentage shall be paid in 4 per cent bonds, in no case to exceed 50 percent of the loss to the enemy, and to be awarded bu such officer or officers as shall be charged with such duty....

"The waters and railroads of the Confederate States used by the enemy are properly the subjects and arenas of operations...." Courtenay had aided in the development of the coal torpedoes.

--Old B-Runner

Update on Confederate "Coal" Torpedoes-- Part 1

FEBRUARY 9TH, 1864:

The USS Jacob Bell took on board six refugees off Blackstone Island, Virginia. One of them was Joseph Lenty, an Englishman, who had worked at Richmond for four years and had information about refiinement of Confederate torpedoes: '....they are now making a shell which looks exactly like a piece of coal, pieces of which were taken from a coal pile as patterns to imitate.

"I have made these shells myself. I believe these shells have power enough to burst any boiler. After they were thrown in a coal pile I could not tell the difference between them and coal myself."

I am wondering whether this Joseph Lenty was black or white?

--Old B-R'er

The Confederate Secret Service Working On "Coal Torpedoes"

JANUARY 19TH, 1864:

Thomas E. Courtenay, working with the Confederate secret service, informed Col. Henry E. Clark that the manufacture of "coal torpedoes" was nearing completion: "The castings have all been completed some time and the coal is so perfect that the most critical eye could not detect it."

Coal torpedoes were actually powder filled cast bombs, shaped and painted to resemble pieces of coal. They were top be taken into federal naval coal depots from which they would eventually reach and explode boilers on ships.

Rear Admiral Porter of the Mississippi Squadron was very worried about them and wrote Welles that he had "given orders to commanders of vessels not to be very particular about the treatment of any of the desperadoes if caught-- only summary punishment will be effective."

In other words, execute on spot.

Yet Another Sneaky, Dastardly Rebel Thing for Freedom. --Old B-Runner