Some More On the "Devil"-- Part 1: "That "Yankee Devil"

From Civil War Talk  "Francis Lee Wanted Iron for  the Torpedi Ram-- Question."

From "Rebel Rhymes and Rhapsodies" by Frank Moore  "The Yankee Devil".

"The  'Nondescript,' or 'Yankee Devil,' for clearing the harbor, was washed ashore on yesterday at Morris Island, and now in our possession.  It is described as a scow-like vessel, painted red, with a long protruding beak, and jutting iron prongs and claws, intended  for the removal of torpedoes.

"It was attached to the Passaic, and managed by her during the engagement."

From the Charleston Courier.

"The enemy are waiting for a new machine, ('Devil') to remove the torpedoes in the harbor, and to have everything in readiness before the attack."   Charleston Courier.

Old-B-Runner

USS Weehawken's "Devil"-- Part 5: It's Still There By Morris Island

After Rodgers cut the "Devil" loose on April 7, it drifted behind Morris Island where the Confederates found it.  Engineers inspected the strange contraption and made a detailed sketch of it.  They later returned to procure any usable parts from the raft.  Captain Francis Lee requisitioned some ten tons of iron fittings from "the Yankee devil," intending to use it for his torpedo rams.

There is a copy of his requisition in the article along with the Confederate sketch.

Craig Swain, the blog writer of To the Sound of Guns, finds it amazing that the "Devil" still exists.  Several years ago he was on an excursion into the waters behind Morris Island in search of the Swamp Angel battery when it was mentioned that the remains of it were there.  He stomped over to it, saw it, but alas, had no camera.

But, a recent survey  of Civil War-related sites  around Charleston, conducted by the South Carolina Institute of  Archaeology and Anthropology for the American Battlefield Protection Program included the "Devil."

The survey team  visited the raft remains and took wood samples for analysis.

And, I'd Never Heard of It Before.  --Old B-Runner

USS Weehawkwn's "Devil"-- Part 4: Problems With the Raft

And, there were problems with the "Devil."  The Weehawken's chains had gotten fouled on the raft, causing a two-hour delay in the attack.

And then other problems.  One report said the  "sea converted the raft  into a huge battering ram which shook the vessel with every undulation."  Meaning, it was battering the ship it was supposed to be protecting.  The raft would rise when the monitor would be falling and vice versa, causing fears that the raft would end up in the deck or under the overhang.

When the Weehawken withdrew from the action, engineers noticed that several iron plates were damaged from the raft battering.  As a result, Rodgers cut the raft loose.

The next day, Rodgers attempted to use another one of the rafts to destroy the grounded USS Keokuk by using the spar torpedoes, but heavy seas caused the crew to be unable to rig the torpedoes.

After April there was still at least one of the rafts left with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, but even with a few more attempts there was no success and the whole thing came to naught.

Perhaps If They Arrached the Raft Even More Snugly.  --Old B-Runner

The USS Weehawken's "Devil"-- Part 3: Also Could Mount Spar Torpedoes

Four chains would secure the raft  to the monitor.  There are references stating that when attached, the "Devil" played the devil with ill effects to the ship's steering.  However, the Weehawken's commander, in an  official report made a few weeks after the April 7 battle with Fort Sumter stated that the raft imposed no  noticeable effects on his ship's steering.

Reference books most often say the raft was designed to snag Confederate torpedoes.  The grappling hooks and chains would certainly  be effective with the torpedoes, but, the author believes that if this took place during a battle that it would not be likely anyone would want to be messing around with several hundred pounds of powder while under fire.  Good point.

Probably better, there was a frame on the front of the raft that could mount two spar torpedoes which might be even more effective at clearing the torpedoes by exploding them.

However, Rodgers did not have the spar torpedoes when he went into battle April 7.  The thought of navigating in the narrow channel with explosives on the front of his ship was too big of a challenge.  But, he was the only commander willing to attach a "Devil" to the front of his ship.  This is why the Weehawken was at the front of the naval column going in to attack as opposed to the USS Passaic, commanded by the more senior Captain Percival Drayton.

--Old B-Runner

The USS Weehawken's "Devil"-- Part 2: Another Ericsson Invention

From To the Sound of Guns blog:  "The 'Devil' or the Ericsson Obstruction Remover, As You Prefer."    Craig Swan.

The "Devil" here was attached to the bow of the monitor USS Weehawken.

The "Devil" was an invention of the famous John Ericsson (USS Monitor, you know) as the request of the Navy to come up with a way of combating Confederate obstructions at the mouths of harbors.  He developed a raft that could be attached to the bow of his monitors.

The device was officially named the "Ericsson Obstruction Remover" but often just called "Ericsson's Raft.  However, Union sailors and Confederates came to calling it "the Devil" since it could be so hurtful to friend or foe.

The Navy sent four of these "Devils" to Charleston in the winter of 1863.  One was lost in route.

Never Heard Of It Before.  --Old B-R'er

The USS Weehawken's "Devil"-- Part 1: To Sweep Torpedoes (Mines)

Of interest, I found mention of this device that was attached at one time to the bow of the USS Weehawken.

From Historic Ships:  Extant Monitors.

The Weehawken was fitted with a large raft that was intended to sweep mines (called torpedoes) in Charleston Harbor.  The raft had a large notch that fit to the bow of the monitor, but it was very unwieldy.  As such the raft was eventually cut loose and drifted to a backwater area of Morris Island.

Confederates found it and called it "The Devil."

This anti-torpedo raft, "The Devil" was reported by Clive Cussler as being in a marsh somewhere around or on Morris Island.  The University of South Carolina also investigated the raft and Dr. Lee Newsom, of Penn State, reported taking wood samples for further analysis.

The results of the analysis are not known.

The Devil You Say.  --Old B-Runner