Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-10
WHY THE KEARSARGE WON.
Good Gunnsry and Brave Fighting De-
cided the Battle.
The Testimony of Naval Experts-The
story About the Chain
ArmOr.

In connection with the recent wreck Of the
Kearsarge the story has been told again
and often of her famous victory over the
Alabama out Of the harbor of Cherbourg
In June. 1854. The mistaken idea has been
given publicity, unintentionally, or, PER
haps, more by inference, that the Eear-
sarge had an immense advantage over her
opponent in that she was practically an
armored vessel in the great fight, on ac-
count of her use of anchor chains to protect
her machinery. This point was made as
an excuse for his defeat by Semmes in a
report made to Mr.. Mason from Southamp-
ton two days after the fight Her mid
ship section" he says, ION both sides was
thoroughly iron-coated, this having been
done with chain constructed FOR the pur-
pose placed perpendicularly from the rail
to the waters edge. the whole covered over
by thin outer planking. which gave no
indication of the armor beneath. This
plankfng had been ripped off IN every d.
rection by our shot and shell, the chain
broken and indented in many places and
forced partly into the ships side He add
ed that the enemy was much damaged in
other parts, but to what extent IL Is now
impossible to tell; IL is believ I'd he was
badly crippled
This idea has long been looked upon as
erroneous by historians and naval author
titles. who regard the two vessels as having
been far more nearly equal than is gen.
orally supposed. They unite in giving the
credit to the superior judgment and fight
ing abilities of Capt Winslow, and to the
fact that the American battery was better
than the British, and that the American
crew showed far better gunnery practice.
The ships were closely matched In size,
the tonnage of the Kearsarge under 'he
old system of measurement being l,uil.
against 1.016 for the Alabama, but on those
measurements the American buffers had
got a little better speed for their vessel.
English Testimony.
The British Army and Navy Gazette Of
that day said: 1.-The palm of care and skill
must be adjudged to Capt. Winslow and bis
first lieutenant and IL proposed that. II
the result was what Semmes asserted, the
admiralty should try the effect Of such
cheap defense Of nations on their wooden
walls"
Capt Winslow, in his account of the bat
tie. says that along the midship section OF
the Kearsarge the chains belonging to her
sheet anchor were hung outside ana cover
ed with light boards to prevent dirt "They
were stopped to eyebolts by the crew, ana
when wanted were taken off and bent 10
the anchors. The object of slowing the
sheet chains thus was to protect the boil
ers from rife shot when the coal was con-
sumed in the bunkers. This was The case
at the time the action ensued The Ala
bama had all her bunkers full and did not
need this protection, but she could have
adopted the same plan with her own chains
had il been chosen.
Superior Guns and Gupncry.
Frof Solely says that the firing of the
Englishmen at the beginning was rapid and
wild though IL became steadier toward the
close:
The crew of the Kearsarge, on the other
hand, unde. the thorough training OF
Thornton, her efficient executive, made ex-
cellent practice. firing Yith 6eliberateness
and precision. They had been instructed to
point the heavy guns rather below than
above the water line. leaving Ii to the 3D.
Founders T. sweep the decks. The two IL
inch guns, and especially the after gun.
played havoc with the enemy. The two
ships gradually neared in their revolutions,
until they were only five or six hundred
yards apart. At this distance the 100
FOUNDER rife of that day was no match for
the heavier smooth boreS in an engagement
between wooden vessels, and the sides of
the Alabama were torn out by shells and
he- decks covered with killed and wounded.
The crew of her after pivot gun was re-
newed four times during the action, and
nearly every man that had served it was
disabled.
The battle lasted an hour and twenty
minutes. After the close the Alabama had
gone to the bottom. Only twenty-eight out
of the $40 shots fired by the Alabama
struck the Kearsarge, of these one loo
pound shell exploded in the Kearsarge's
smokestack. and another which was the
only really dangerous shot received, lodged
in the sternpost. but did not explode Capt
Semmes is quoted as saying of this that the
fate of the battle depended upon a detective
percussion cap. but It was generally admit
ted now that the battle was decided before
that shot was fired, and that the Kearss rye
mad outfought her antagonist from the first