GALENA DAILY GAZETTEOLD SERIES---VOL. XVI, NO. 144NEW SERIES---VOL. I, NO. 25Monday morning, March 13, 1864
Page 2 Col. #2
THE LOSS OF THE HOUSATONIC
--"A Naval Officer's Account of the Affair--A terrible Agency in Naval Warfare"
"As a history of the recent disaster of the U.S. steamer Housatonic may be of interest to many of your readers, I will attempt a brief statement of facts.
On the evening of February 17th, the Housatonic was anchored outside the bar, two and a half miles from Breach Inlet battery, and five miles and three fifths from the ruins of Sumter--her usual station on the blockade. There was but little wind or sea, the sky was cloudless and the moon shining brightly. A slight mist rested on the water, not sufficient, however, to prevent our discerning other vessels on the blockade two or three miles away. The usual lookouts were stationed on the forecastle, in the gangway and on the quarterdeck.
At about 8:45 of the first watch, the officer of the deck discovered, while looking in the direction of Breach Inlet battery, a slight disturbance of the water, like that produced by a porpoise. At the time it appeared to be about one hundred yards distant and a-beam. The Quartermaster examined it with his glass, and pronounced it a school of fish. As it was evidently nearing the ship, orders were at once given to slip the chain, beat to quarters, and call the Captain. Just after issuing these orders, the Master's Mate from the forecastle reported the suspicious appearance to the officer in charge. The officers and men were promptly on deck, but by this time the submarine machine was so near us that its form and the phosphorescent light produced by its motion through the water were plainly visible. At the call to quarters it had stopped, or nearly so, and then moved towards the stern of the vessel, probably to avoid our broadside guns. When the Captain reached our deck, it was on the starboard quarter, and so near us that all attempts to train a gun it were futile. Several shots were fired into it form revolvers and rifles; it also received two charges of buckshot from the Captain's gun.
The chain had been slipped and the engines had just begun to move, when the crash came, throwing timbers and splinters into the air, and apparently blowing off the entire stern of the vessel. This was immediately followed by a fearful rushing of the water, the rolling out of a dense, black smoke from the stack, and the settling of the vessel.
Orders were at once given to clear away the boats, and the men sprang to work with a will. But we were filling too rapidly. The ship gave a lurch to port and all the boats on that side were swamped. Many men and officers jumped overboard and clung to such portions of the wreak as came within reach, while others sought safety in the rigging and tops. Fortunately we were in but twenty-eight feet of water, and two of the boats on the starboard side were lowered. Most of those who had jumped overboard were either picked up or swam back to the wreck. The two boats then pulled for the Canandaigus, one and a half miles distant. Assistance was promptly rendered by that vessel to those remaining on the wreck.
It was the opinion of all who saw the strange craft, that it was very nearly or entirely under water, that there was no smoke-stack, that it was from twenty to thirty feet in length, and that it was noiseless in her motion through the water. It was not seen after the explosion. The ship was struck on the starboard side abaft the mizzen-mast. The force of the explosion seems to have been mainly upward. A piece ten feet square was blown out of her quarterdeck, all the beams and carlines being broken transversely across. The heavy spanker boom was broken in its thickest part, and the water for some distance was white with splinters of oak and pine.
Probably no more than one minute elapsed from the time the torpedo was first seen, until we were struck, and not over three or four minutes could have passed between the explosion and the sinking of the ship. Had we been struck in any other part, or before the alarm had been given the loss of life would have been much greater.
The Housatonic was a steam-sloop, with a tonnage of 1,240, and she carried a battery of thirteen guns. She was completed about eighteen months ago, and has been in the blockade ever since. She is the first vessel destroyed by a contrivance of this character, and this fact gives to this lamentable affair a significance which it would not otherwise possess. Deserters tell us that there are other machines of this kind in the harbor, ready to come out, and that several more are in process of construction. The country cannot attend too earnestly to the dangers which threaten our blockading fleets, and the gunboats and streamers on the Southern rivers."-----Off Charleston, Feb. 22,1864
"As a history of the recent disaster of the U.S. steamer Housatonic may be of interest to many of your readers, I will attempt a brief statement of facts.
On the evening of February 17th, the Housatonic was anchored outside the bar, two and a half miles from Breach Inlet battery, and five miles and three fifths from the ruins of Sumter--her usual station on the blockade. There was but little wind or sea, the sky was cloudless and the moon shining brightly. A slight mist rested on the water, not sufficient, however, to prevent our discerning other vessels on the blockade two or three miles away. The usual lookouts were stationed on the forecastle, in the gangway and on the quarterdeck.
At about 8:45 of the first watch, the officer of the deck discovered, while looking in the direction of Breach Inlet battery, a slight disturbance of the water, like that produced by a porpoise. At the time it appeared to be about one hundred yards distant and a-beam. The Quartermaster examined it with his glass, and pronounced it a school of fish. As it was evidently nearing the ship, orders were at once given to slip the chain, beat to quarters, and call the Captain. Just after issuing these orders, the Master's Mate from the forecastle reported the suspicious appearance to the officer in charge. The officers and men were promptly on deck, but by this time the submarine machine was so near us that its form and the phosphorescent light produced by its motion through the water were plainly visible. At the call to quarters it had stopped, or nearly so, and then moved towards the stern of the vessel, probably to avoid our broadside guns. When the Captain reached our deck, it was on the starboard quarter, and so near us that all attempts to train a gun it were futile. Several shots were fired into it form revolvers and rifles; it also received two charges of buckshot from the Captain's gun.
The chain had been slipped and the engines had just begun to move, when the crash came, throwing timbers and splinters into the air, and apparently blowing off the entire stern of the vessel. This was immediately followed by a fearful rushing of the water, the rolling out of a dense, black smoke from the stack, and the settling of the vessel.
Orders were at once given to clear away the boats, and the men sprang to work with a will. But we were filling too rapidly. The ship gave a lurch to port and all the boats on that side were swamped. Many men and officers jumped overboard and clung to such portions of the wreak as came within reach, while others sought safety in the rigging and tops. Fortunately we were in but twenty-eight feet of water, and two of the boats on the starboard side were lowered. Most of those who had jumped overboard were either picked up or swam back to the wreck. The two boats then pulled for the Canandaigus, one and a half miles distant. Assistance was promptly rendered by that vessel to those remaining on the wreck.
It was the opinion of all who saw the strange craft, that it was very nearly or entirely under water, that there was no smoke-stack, that it was from twenty to thirty feet in length, and that it was noiseless in her motion through the water. It was not seen after the explosion. The ship was struck on the starboard side abaft the mizzen-mast. The force of the explosion seems to have been mainly upward. A piece ten feet square was blown out of her quarterdeck, all the beams and carlines being broken transversely across. The heavy spanker boom was broken in its thickest part, and the water for some distance was white with splinters of oak and pine.
Probably no more than one minute elapsed from the time the torpedo was first seen, until we were struck, and not over three or four minutes could have passed between the explosion and the sinking of the ship. Had we been struck in any other part, or before the alarm had been given the loss of life would have been much greater.
The Housatonic was a steam-sloop, with a tonnage of 1,240, and she carried a battery of thirteen guns. She was completed about eighteen months ago, and has been in the blockade ever since. She is the first vessel destroyed by a contrivance of this character, and this fact gives to this lamentable affair a significance which it would not otherwise possess. Deserters tell us that there are other machines of this kind in the harbor, ready to come out, and that several more are in process of construction. The country cannot attend too earnestly to the dangers which threaten our blockading fleets, and the gunboats and streamers on the Southern rivers."-----Off Charleston, Feb. 22,1864
Spar torpedoes were explosive charges placed on a spar clear of the bow of the ship, the idea being to drive your ship at his and detonate the charge against his hull. Again the effect seems to have been very variable - sometimes devastating, frequently ineffectual. Theoretically any ship could rig a spar torpedo although both sides had a few vessels that used this weapon as their main armament. The first successful submarine attack occurred when the CSS Hunley sank the USS Housatonic. Strictly speaking, the Hunley was a submersible and made the attack on the surface for the very sensible reason that she had already sunk twice with all hands when carrying out diving trials. As it happened, however, the wash from her bow torpedo explosion swamped the Hunley and she sank again. After this the Confederates called it a day with submarine development but the way ahead bad been shown.
Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley - a detail from R.G. Skerrett's painting of 1902
USS Housatonic - as portrayed by R.G. Skerrett in 1912
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