Attack on USS New Ironsides: Difference between revisions

Attack on USS New Ironsides
Part of the American Civil War
CSS David approching the USS New Ironsides.
Date October 5, 1863 Location Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina Result Confederate victory[1]
Belligerents
Confederate States	United States
Commanders and leaders
William T. Glassell	Stephen C. Rowan
Strength
1 torpedo boat	1 ironclad
Casualties and losses
2 captured 1 torpedo boat damaged	1 killed 1 wounded 1 ironclad damaged

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The Attack on USS New Ironsides in October of 1863 was one of the first successful torpedo boat attacks in history. Confederate forces in Charleston, South Carolina deployed the newly built semi-submersible CSS David to attache torpedo to the hull of USS New Ironsides. Though the attack is regared as a rebel victory the Union (American Civil War)|Union]] ship was saved from sinking.^[2]

Because the blockade was a great impediment on Confederate commerce and warfare to lift the Union Blockade. CSS David was one of the South's secret weapons, similar to the submarine H.L. Hunley, CSS David was designed to destroy enemy ships by stealthly sneaking up to their sides and placing a spar torpedo on their hulls. The David was only fifty feet long with a beam of six feet and a draft of five feet, hew crew consisted of only four officers and men. She was under the command of Lieutenant William T. Glassell during her short career. On the night of October 5, at about 8:00 am the torpedo boat headed out from the pier and towards the fourteen gun ironclad USS New Ironsides which was considered one of the most formidable Union warships. An hour later the rebels were approaching the ironclad when lookouts spotted them fifty yards away just before they attached the torpedo. The Union commander Captain Stephen C. Rowan reported the following: "At 9 p.m. discovered a very peculiar looking steamer which at first appeared like a boat standing toward our starboard beam from seaward; hailed her rapidly four times, and she making no reply, fired into her with musketry; she returned fire, dangerously wounding Ensign C.W. Howard in charge of the deck the steamer struck us near No. 6 port, starboard side, exploding a large torpedo, shaking the vessel and throwing up an immense column of water, part of which fell on our decks."^[3]

When the water fell back down it went down the New Ironsides' smokestack and put the fire in her engine out. The explosion ripped a large fissure in the ironclad's starboard quarter. Damage was also inflicted to the ship's armory bulkhead and some store rooms but casualties remained light with two wounded, one of whom later died, and a third man who sufferred from "confusions". CSS David was heavily damaged, enough to where her commander ordered his men to abandon ship. The pilot W. Cannon could not swim so he remained aboard and after the others left they tried to swim for nearby Morris Island under fire. It was at this time Assistant Engineer J. H. Tomb decided to go back to the torpedo boat and he restarted the fire and sailed away. The remaining two Confederates, including Lieutenant Glassel, surrendered to the men of New Ironsides after evacuating the David. New Ironsides was apparently not in threat of sinking and the damage proved to be superficial. She retutned to blockade duty after taking a short time in Philadelphia to make repairs. CSS David was repaired as well and she eventually made attacks on USS Memphis and USS Wabash. Several torpedo boats of the David class were captured at the end of the war, the David may have been among them^[4]

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Roberts, William H. (1989). "The Neglected Ironclad: A Design and Constructional Analysis of the U.S.S. New Ironsides". Warship International. XXVI (2). Toledo, Ohio: International Naval Research Organization: 109–35. ISSN 0043-0374.