Complex sentence: The steam launch rode up and then over them without difficulty; with her spar fully against the ironclad's hull, Cushing stood up in the bow, pulled the lanyard, detonating the torpedo's explosive charge.
Split into simpler sentences: The steam launch rode up and then over them without difficulty. With her spar fully against the ironclad's hull, Cushing stood up in the bow and detonated the torpedo's explosive charge.