The Camden daily journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1864-1864, 1864-11-09
DarinS Attempt To Destroy the Albc.
lll:lrBC.

O.
mario.
on thursday night Oct. 81, daring attcnpt
w was n'aoo by aparty OF eleven officers of the
L iankee navy to blow up with torpedocs, the
1ron-clad ram Albemarlc, at Plymouth. N q
and to some extent the attempt was snccoss,
fnl. '"o0'''
The Albemal1c was moored near the wharf,
Rangway connecting her with the shore. Some
ulstance down the river, in the stream Law the
nun OF tue Southfcld, sunk there by CAPTAIN
Gooke "hen plymouth was captured from the
1anRees. lhe Southfeld was used as a nick
OF station by our infantry forces, to which thew
passed to and from the shore by a boat. anI
this boat was usually kept at heSoutLftlJ
1hursday night was very dark and sto, nv
IN the darkness and storm, the Yankee expcd,
ton surprised, it is said, the South1eld nicket-
station and captured all the pckcts, twcutv five
IN number, without firing a gun, and sent them
down the river to the fleet below in their own
boat. The vessel used for the Yankee cynedi-
zion was a long low steamer, or torpedo boat.
PropeEed Dy steam or by mutfled oars. Havino
u'sposed OF the p'ckcts quietly, the Yankees
crossed TO the side Of the river opposite to
tHmouth' and sweeping round. came upon the
h1oemane from up the Stream. Our inform
ant, who says he was on the Albcma,le at the
time, as visitor, and was somewhat n;ured h,.
the explosion Of the torpedo, saws that in con-
sequence Of the darkness and tiI, noisn nf ,bo
storm, the watch on the Albcmare knew moth
ing OF the approach OF the enemy till she was
close upon them. The boat was hailed, "What
Doat Is that &! The reply was, the AhcnIarlc's
boat, and Mt thl: moment tie AIbcrarle was
strnck oy the Yankee boat, on the stilrboarl
quarter In 6fl's attempt, 1T is thought thu
Yankees failed to blow up the Alb,.mar|r
through defect in the torpedo.
ihey immediately swung round their boat
again and were coming down upon the Albc
marle's bow, when they were aoaiu usl.ed
"What boat is that?" The reply WAS "Yon
will soon see" and on the instant the Alhc.
marie was struck and the torpedo exploded =
by this time the alarm was general 1hrour},-
out the ship, and the men rushed to arms and
made tor the outside Of the armor, where tbcy
were met by one or two vollcys of grape from
llowitzer in the Yankee boat The Abe
marle's mon commenced Il rapid fire all arornl
the ship, but they could see nothing Of the en-
emy IN consequence OF the darkness It was
soo", "ow' ascertalncd that the torpedo had
mao tne 'htcndcd effect, for one of the bows of
the Albeinarlc WIS stove in and she wis ron;dlv
settling down. ''p''''
In the meantime the Yankees. in tho;r co,-
fusion got their boat in the midst Of somo loos
fixed around the AIbemare for her nrotocten
and being unable to extr:catc her, the whole
party, with the exception Of the CAPTAIN in
command, surrendered, torpedo boat and all
So far AS We can learn none of the crew Of
A}bemare suf'cd more than few sli,Lt
wounds. Three Of the Yankees are said 10
have been wounded. They are reported to be
all commissioned and non-commissioncd off,
GERS, volunteering for this daring undertaking.
The Albcmare went down in a few minutes.
but the water being shallow her portfolios arc
not submerged, and though her gundeck is
few inches under water her guns Still command
the channel up and down. The injury she s,,s-
tanned can be repaired in two or three weeks.
including the raising Of the vessel.
Inc foregoing is our ownsversion of the af-
fair, deduced from several different statements.
--GoIds1oro Journal.