Confederate Ironclads CSS Louisiana and Mississippi-- Part 1

I have been writing about the Confederate iron foundry in New Orleans named Leeds & Co. in my Saw the Elephant:  The Civil War blog in connection with cannons they made for the Confederacy.  Leeds cannons are quite rare in the artillery world because of the fact that New Orleans fell to Farragut so early in the war.

Yesterday I found out that Leeds also was involved with the iron on two Confederate rams that were built in New Orleans as well as an early submarine named the Pioneer I.  The source did not say what the name of the ironclads were, however.

Today, I learned that they were the CSS Louisiana and CSS Mississippi, two of the largest ironclads built in the Confederacy.  I had thought that perhaps it was the CSS Manassas.

I am not sure if the Leeds Foundry was to have something to do with the iron on the casemates or other materials on the ships.

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From Wikipedia

CSS LOUISIANA

The CSS Louisiana was a casemate ironclad built for the Confederate Navy to defend the lower Mississippi River (New Orleans)  She took part in one major action during the war, the defense of Forts Jackson and St. Philip.  When those forts fell, she was destroyed by her crew to prevent capture.

--Old B-Runner

Confederate Submarine Attraction in South Carolina Reopens-- Part 2

The Hunley sank a Union blockading ship, the USS Housatonic by ramming it with a torpedo attached to a spar at the front of the ship.  A half-century would pass before another submarine would sink and enemy warship during World War I.

Unfortunately for the Hunley, it sank to the bottom itself while returning from the attack on the Housatonic.  All eight men aboard died.

Many theories have been advance over the years as to what happened to cause the Hunley to sink.  Some think perhaps it was too close to the explosion and that they were knocked unconscious or perhaps miscalculated how long their oxygen will hold while submerged.

Scientists hope to determine the cause of the ship's sinking when the entire vessel's exterior and interior is cleaned of the sea buildup in the next several years.

The Hunley was raised from the sea floor in 2000.  Scientists have spent seventeen years collecting human remains (all aboard were found) and restoring the vessel.

--Old B-R'er

August 8, 2000: Wreckage of Hunley Recovered

From the August 8, 2021, Chicago Tribune.

AUGUST 8, 2020

The wreckage of the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which sank in 1864 after attacking and sinking the Union ship USS Housatonic, was recovered of the South Carolina coast and returned to port.

--Old B-R'er

New Theory As to Why the Submarine Hunley Sank

From the February 23, 2020, WTOC 11 Low Country News by Bill Sharpe.

On the night of February 17, 1864, the Confederate submarine Hunley sank after it used a torpedo to sing the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor.  It was the first warship to be sunk by a submarine in world history.

But, the Hunley never returned to its base.  Its location was just found a short time ago by writer and undersea explorer Clive Cussler, who just recently died.

Rachel Lance, a U.S. Navy biomedical engineer who holds an engineering from Duke University has made a bold claim as to why the Hunley sank that night.

In her research, she has determined that  the blast from the torpedo  sent blast waves through the submarine's iron hull and caused instant death for the men inside.

The ship was raised off the Charleston Harbor floor in 2000 and now sits at the Hunley Museum in North Charleston, South Carolina.

This is not a new story, but interesting anyway.

--Old B-Runner

Future USS Delaware (SSN-791) Accepted By U.S. Navy

From the Oct. 29, 2019, Maritime Executive "Future USS Delaware delivered to the U.S. Navy."

It is the Navy's 18th Virginia-Class nuclear submarine.  Construction on it began in 2013 and it is scheduled for commissioning April 4, 2020.  This is the last of what is called the Block II Virginia-Class submarines.  It is the last of this group.  There will be a Block III group next.

Virginia Class submarines are built to operate in deep waters doing anti-submarine, anti-surface, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, irregular warfare and  mine warfare missions.

It is the seventh ship to bear the name of "The First State."  The first one served in the American revolution, the second one in the Quasi War with France.  The third was burned to prevent her falling into the hands of Confederates and the fourth one served blockade duties during the Civil War.

Little is known about the fifth Delaware, other than it was a screw steamer which had another name before being changed to Delaware on May 15, 1869.  The sixth Delaware was a battleship commissioned April 4, 1910, that served in the Atlantic and Caribbean.

During World War I, she provided convoy protection and participated in Allied naval exercises before being decommissioned in 1923.

Welcome Aboard USS Delaware.  --Old B-Runner

April 9, 1864, Squib Attack on USS Minnesota-- Part 4: How To Keep Those Pesky Torpedo Boats Away

The concern caused by the attack on the USS Minnesota, coming so soon after Confederate submarine Hunley had sunk the USS Housatonic was widespread.  William Winthrop, U.S. Consul at Malta, wrote Assistant Secretary of State Frederick W. Seward  (was he a relation of William Seward?) concerning precautions recommended for the future.

"In these days of steam and torpedoes, you may rest assured that outlying picket boats and a steam tug at all hours ready to move are not sufficient protection for our ships of war, where a squadron is at anchor.  They require something more, and this should be in  having their own boats rowing round all night, so that in a measure every ship could protect itself.

"If this precaution be not taken, any vessel in a dark and foggy night could be blown out of the water, even while a watchful sentry on board might still have his cry of "all's well' yet on his lips as the fiendish act was accomplished."

--Old B-Runner

Confirmation of James H. Tomb's Sons-- Part 2:

Papers of James Hamilton Tomb (died after 1900) of Florida include his memoirs of the Civil War  when he was a chief engineering officer in the Confederate Navy; correspondence(partly in Portuguese) while a Brazilian  navy officer, 1866-1867, and recollections and drawings of a torpedo which sank a Brazilian  warship; and  post war correspondence about Civil War naval actions with former Confederate and Union navy officers and other interested persons.

The Civil war papers especially concern Confederate torpedoes and the submarines used  in the attempt to break the Charleston blockade.

Other papers include various records of naval service of his sons, captains William Victor Tomb (died 1941) and James Harvey Tomb (died 1946), including a diary, 1917-1918, of W.T. Tomb while on convoy duty  in the Atlantic during World War I.

O.K.  We have Confirmation.  Both Were the Sons of  James Hamilton Tomb.  --Old B-Runner

James Hamilton Tomb, CSN-- Part 2: Service in Charleston Harbor

James Tomb was at the forefront of naval weapon technology of the period.  he quickly amassed  not only the knowledge required of a steam engineer, but also the courage and capacity to assume important positions of command.

Within days of his commissioning, he was on his way to his first assignment-- first class engineer on the CSS Jackson at New Orleans, Louisiana, a point of great strategic importance.

This is where he began his memoirs  "Engineer in Gray."

The memoirs are a first-person narrative.  The editor intersperses that with explanatory comments.  The editor also fills in the life of Tomb before and after his Confederate service.  Three appendices also include documents by Tomb "Submarines and Torpedo Boats, C.S.N.,"  written in 1914 for the Confederate Veteran  Magazine, a private manuscript Tomb wrote for his family describing in detail his experience with the torpedo boat  David and submarine H.L. Hunley, and "Reminiscences of Torpedo Service in Charleston Harbor," published in 1877 in the Southern Historical Society Papers.

There is also a bibliography and many rare photographs.

Sounds Like a Book I'd Like to Have.  --Old Torp-Runner

September 19, 1863: Horace Hunley Wants Command of His Submarine in Charleston Harbor

SEPTEMBER 19TH, 1863:    Horace L. Hunley wrote General Beauregard, commanding Charleston, S.C., requesting that command of the submarine bearing his name be turned over to him.  "I propose," Hunley said, "if you will place the boat in my hands to furnish a new crew (in whole or part) from Mobile who are well acquainted with its management & make an attempt to destroy a vessel of the enemy as early as practicable."

Three days later, Brigadier General  Jordan, Beauregard's Chief of Staff, directed that the submarine be "cleaned and turned over to him with the understanding that said Boat shall be ready for service in two weeks."

Under Hunley's direction, a crew was brought to Charleston from Mobile, the H.L. Hunley was readied, and a number of practice dives carried out preparatory to making an actual attack.

Getting ready.

Confederate Sub Hunley May Move from North Charleston

From the August Charleston (SC) Post and Courier "Confederate sub Hunley may move from North Charleston to Mount Pleasamdt" by Robert Behre.

It has been almost two years since the Confederate submarine Hunley was raised from the water but it is now unclear where its final resting place will be.  It is in North Charleston, S.C., right now, but may end up at Patriot's Point naval and maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant.

In 2004, after two years of jockeying, the city of North Charleston beat out Mount Pleasant and Charleston as the planned site for the Hunley Museum, partly because North Charleston pledged $13 million toward its construction.

--Old B-Runner

A New Clue to the Sinking of the Hunley-- Part 3

 Last year, researchers at Duke University proposed that the Hunley's crew might have been killed instantly by the blast from the submarine's spar-mounted torpedo.

But, experts say they are still not near determining the actual cause of the crews' deaths.  And, it is very possible that they will never find out what happened in the Hunley on that night.

In the meantime, they will continue removing more of the corrosion and underwater matter from all that time on the sea bottom.

What's more, scientists are finally beginning to get a handle on the inner workings of this thoroughly analog piece of military technology.

--Old B-Runner

A New Clue to the Hunley's Sinking-- Part 2: Keel Blocks Not Released

This fail-safe mechanism in the Hunley;s keel being as it was, makes it appear that the crew may not have seen what sank the submarine coming.

Archaeologist Michael Scafuri has been working on the Hunley for 18 years removing layers of corrosion, silt and shells from the submarine and has now found that the levers were all locked in position which makes it appear that there wasn't any panic aboard the ship.  The levers would have released some 1,000 pounds of"keel blocks" bringing the submarine to the surface and allowing the crew to swim to safety.

This discovery gives rise to two options:  the crew may not have realized they were in danger or not anticipated to the to surface quickly.

Will We Ever Know What Caused the Hunley to Sink?  --Old B-Runner

New Clue for Sinking of the Hunley-- Part 1: A Hidden Fail-Safe Mechanism

From the July 23, 2018, History "What Sunk the Confederate Submarine, the Hunley?  New Clue Emerges." by Natasha Frost.

"It was the first submarine in history to successfully sink an enemy ship.  Made out of forty feet of bulletproof iron, the H.L. Hunley was a Confederate submarine with a crew of eight.  But despite its claim, it was a dangerous vessel to be inside."

In its eight months career, it sank three times, killing nearly 30 men, including its inventor.  (It was raised twice.)  The final time it sank was after it sank the USS Housatonic and then sank for its third time.  The question still remains, what sank the Hunley?

The submarine was found 130 years after it sank, in 1995 and five years later it was raised for a third time.  Inside were the remains of all eight of its crew, still at their positions.  Apparently, the crew never attempted to escape.

Now researchers have found another clue.  A hidden fail-safe mechanism in the Hunley's keel that would have given the crew a chance to escape was never activated.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Missouri and Other Ships By That Name

From the June 18, 2018, News Tribune  "Perspective:  A history of the Missouri Navy" by Sam Bushman.

This was a list and short summary of all the ships in the U.S. (and Confederate) Navy by the name Missouri.

The first USS Missouri was a paddleboat frigate built in 1841 that soon caught fire and exploded.

The second Missouri was the Confederate CSS Missouri built on the Red River at Shreveport, Louisiana.  It never saw action and surrendered at the end of the war.  It was found to be badly built and was towed to Mound City, Illinois, and scrapped.

It was never officially commissioned into the U.S. Navy, but many historians count her as a Navy ship.

The third ship was the battleship USS Missouri (BB-11) commissioned in 1903

The 4th was the most famous of all, the battleship USS Missouri (BB-13) where Japan surrendered at the end of WW II and now a museum ship in Pearl Harbor.

The 5th is the submarine USS Missouri (SSN-780), a Virginia-class fast attack submarine.

I'll write about these other Missouris in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

--Old B-R'er

USS Canandaigua-- Part 3: Rescued Crew of USS Housatonic

On February 17, 1864, the Canandaigua rescued 140 survivors of the USS Housatonic after it was sunk by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.

It arrived at Boston Navy Yard on March 26, 1865, and was decommissioned April 8.  Recommissioned after repairs on November 22, it was on European Station until February 1869, then began three years of extensive repairs at New York Navy Yard.

From may 15, 1869 to August 10, it was renamed USS Detroit, but then returned to its original name.

Its last cruise was 1872 to 1875 to the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico as part of the North Atlantic Station.

In 1875, it was decommissioned at Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia and remained in ordinary until broken up in 1884.

--Old B-R'er

Well, As It Turns Out, I Had Heard of The USS Canandaigua

Yesterday, I posted about this ship capturing a blockade runner named the Secesh off Charleston, S.C., on May 15, 1863, 155 years ago.  I mentioned that I had not heard of this ship before.  It turns out that I had already written about it one time.

This was the ship that rescued the crew of the USS Housatonic after it was sunk by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.

Click on the USS Canandaigua label to find out what I wrote about it.

--Old B-Runner

New Theory For Death of Hunley's Crew-- Part 4: "Blast Lung"

The explosion of the torpedo at the end of the Hunley's spar set off a pressure wave inside the submarine that would have caused lethal blast trauma.  There would have also been immediate fatal lung trauma from the blast, known as "Blast Lung."  This would explain the lack of apparent injuries to the the skeletons of the the crew.

So, death would have been instantaneous and then the Hunley and its lifeless crew would have drifted with the current.

It would be interesting if they knew the currents in Charleston Harbor which might have caused the Hunley to end up in its final resting place after the crew was dead.  If they could prove this, this new theory would probably be the one that explains what happened.

However, Navy researchers have their doubts about her theory.

Rachel Lance says that two measurements are absolutely important:  the thickness of the Hunley's hull and the distance it was from the charge when it went off.

Always Interesting.  --Old B-Runner

New Theory About the Hunley's Demise-- Part 3: Killed By Their Own Weapon

Rachel Lance lacked access to the actual submarine (which I think is too bad as she also is searching for answers) so she used a scale model of the Hunley.   She first used compressed gas at first to simulate an explosion.  Then she used scaled down black powder.

She placed her scale model in a pond and measured the pressure inside and outside of it when the explosion took place.

Water transmits blasts well.  Sadly, the Hunley had a very thin hull, unlike today's submarines.

This proved fatal to the Hunley's crew according to her research.

--Old B-R'er

New Theory on How H.L. Hunley Submariners Died-- Part 1

From the August 30, 2017, Duke University Chronicle "Duke alumnus discovers mysterious cause of death of Confederate soldiers aboard submarine" by Claire Xiau.

Pleasant news out of Duke after that desecration of the Civil War statue last month.

Eight Confederate soldiers on the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat, were killed by their own weapon.

In February 1864, the Hunley sank the USS Housatonic in less than five minutes using 135 pounds of black powder.  The submarine never returned to its Charleston, S.C., base and was lost for a long time before being found in 1995.

Since then, researchers have been looking for the reason why they died.

Rachel Lance, a former Ph.D student in Duke's Department of Biomedical Engineering performed experiments using explosives on a scale model of the Hunley (using scaled down explosives) and found that the shockwave from the explosion killed the crew.

So Far, To Me, This Is the Best Explanation  --Old B-Runner

PCU Minnesota Unveils New Logo and a Werden Connection

From the December 16, 2011, American Navy "PCU Minnesota Officially Unveils New Logo" by Lt.Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg.

To start with, PCU Minnesota is the Pre-Commission Unit and the Minnesota in question is the new nuclear submarine (SSN-783).

This was quite an interesting article to come across in light of what I have been writing about.

More than 100 high school and college students submitted logos to the Pre-Commissioning Unit Minnesota (SSN-783).

Jakob Bartels' design won and received a $1,500 college scholarship and an all-expense-paid trip to the submarine's commissioning in Norfolk in late 2013.

His family members have served in the U.S. military.  Including the great uncle of his great grandmother, Mary Werden Whiteside.  Her middle name, Werden, looks very familiar in the last several posts.  We are talking about U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Reed Werden, who, in another coincidence, once served on the steam frigate USS Minnesota and was at the first battle between ironclads, the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia.

I am not sure he was on the Minnesota at the Battle of Hampton Roads, however.

Very Interesting, Though.  --Old B-Runner