The Indianapolis journal., 1898-06-19
NAMING TORPEDO BOATS
OUR GREATEST NAVAL HEROES ARE
REMEMBERED IN THIS WAY.
Achievements That Made the Names OF
Porter, FOOte, Dupont, Rodgers
and Ericsson Famous.
Philadelphia Times.


given of this rule of the Naval Department
by the Mackenzie launched the other day
at Hillman s shipyard in Camden. the Cush-
ing and the Somers. AS suggested. there
are further instances, the mere mention of
which may prove interesting What mem
ories are revived by the name Porter, which
is borne by one of the torpedo boats 1t
brings to every man aboard of it and every
enemy that confronts it thoughts of a fa-
nous family of naval heroes, but the par
ticular one whose name now gives vigor
to the United States fleet is, of course, Da-
vid Dixon Porter. a Chester boy, who was
one of the few men-if the narrator is not
mistaken, there were only two-who were
elevated to the position of full admiral in
the United States navy. 1t would take many
pages of the Times to tell the stories of
Porter's deeds of heroism, especially during
the civil war. He received at various times
from Congress four votes of thanks, includ-
ing the general one for the capture of New
Orleans. He assisted Farragut in all the
latters operations between New Orleans
and Vicksburg, where he effectively bonn
barded the forts and enabled the fleet to
pass in safety. Before Vicksburg surren-
dered the ConfederateS captured the In
dianola, and while they were making efforts
to repair her, Porter, then a commodore,
fitted an old scow to look like one of his
turtle-backed gunboats, with two canoes
for quarter boats, a smokestack of pork
barrels and mud furnaces in which fire was
burning. This. floating fake, which was
humorously called the '"Turreted Monster"
was set adrift with no one on board. A
vigorous cannonade from the Confederate
batteries failed to stop the formidable look
ing craft, and in fear of her recapture the
authorities at Vicksburg hastily destroyed
the 1ndianola, while there was wasted upon
the supposed monitor small fortune in shot
ana shell before the enemy discovered the
strategy.
In front of Fort Fisher Admiral Porter
commanded what General Grant once de-
scr1bed as the most formidable armada
ever collected for concentration upon one
given point" 1t was in the latter part
rather the second part-of that famous ac-
ton that mdshpman named Robley D.
Evans-now Fighting Bob,' captain of the
battle ship Iowa-received the wound that
made him cripple for life. Commodore
Porter appeared at Fort Fisher on Christ
mas eve, 1884, with thirty-five regular cruis-
ers, five ironclads and a reserve of nineteen
vessels. and began the bombardment of the
forts at the mouth of the Cape Fear river
In one hour and fifteen minutes after the
first shot was fired not shot came from the
fort, and the batteries were silenced COM
pletely David Porter himself is authority
for that statement. Yet, after a recon-
was to bring forward the military forces,
decided that Fort Fisher was not substan-
tally injured, could not be taken by as
Hampton Roads. Porter begged that the
enterprise should not be abandoned and in
compliance with his request a second mill
tary force under the command of General
Terry arrived off Fort Fisher on Jan. 49,
1865. The fleet was increased in number and
hours of desperate fighting the works were
captured by a combined force of soldiers,
sailors and marines on Jan. IS, 1865.
That is why torpedo boat bears the
name of Porter.
FOOTE AND DUPONT.
Now as to the Foote.
She bears the name of Andrew Hull Foote,
a son of a one-time United States senator
from Connecticut. This hero of the seas
was celebrated in the navy for his religious
ardor and his indomitable courage. His first
naval action was when he in command
of the sloop-of-war Plymouth in 1866, and
happened after his arrival at Canton, China,
on the eve of the hostilities between the
Chinese and the English. Vile endeavoring
to protect American property he was fired
on by the Chinese forts. Through permis-
sion of Commodore Armstrong he demanded
an apology, and when it was refused he
attacked the forts. four in number, with the
Portsmouth and the Levant and having
preached the largest carried them by storm.
He lost forty men, but four hundred dead
Cinnamon lay stiff in death as a sacrifice
to American honor and American valor:
During the civil war Foote was distinguished
by series of heroic acts. He participated
in the assault on Fort Donelson, and in that
action was wounded: Congress passed him
a vote of thanks and made him a rear ad-
miral.
Now as to the Dupont.
This torpedo boat bears the name of Sam
uel Francis Dupont, a New Jerseyman by
birth but who closed his eyes on mortal
scenes in this city in June, 1866. During
service of more than twenty-five years at
sea he was almost constantly employed on
duties of Importance. During the Mexican
war, while in command of the Cyane. he
captured San Diego; took possession of La
Pas capital of Lower California; spiked
the guns of San Bias, and entered the har-
Dor Of Guaymas, burning two gunboats and
fire. These operations cleared the Gulf of
California of hostile ships, thirty of which
were taken or destroyed. To tell his deeds
during the civil war would be to recount
much of the naval history OF that unfor-
tunate episode in our country's career. To-
wards the close of 1852 several armored YES
sells were added to his command, mostly of
the monitor type one of which destroyed
the Confederate steamer Nashville under
the guns Of Fort McAllister - Being the
had been assigned he carefully tested
their offensive powers by several al
tacks upon this work, on which they
were unable to make any impression on
account of the small number of their
guns and the slowness of their fire. AS
SuIQlI&
armored vessels, mounting thirty-two guns,
Dupont then a rear admiral made reso-
lutte attempt on April T. 1863 to take
tortuous channels filled with obstructions
that led to the harbor, the ironclads were
exposed to a terrible cross-fire from a hun
dred guns of the heaviest caliber, and
darkness approaching the ships were wise
ly withdrawn, one sinking soon afterward
and five others being disabled. This action
was fought pursuant to express instructions
from the Navy Department, Nits probable
result having been foreseen byNhe admiral,
who had given it as his opinion that the CO.
operation of troops was necessary to secure
success. Time has fully confirmed the en-
tire correctness of Dupont's judgment His
able successor. with a large force of
armored ships was no more fortunate and
Charleston only fell on the approach of
Sherman's army
RODGERS AND ERICSSON.
Now as to the Rodgers.
She bears the name of John Rodgers,
Maryland boy by birth, who died in this
city just sixty years ago. When he was
only twenty-eight years of age and a lieu
tenant in the navy he received a silver
medal from Congress in recognition of the
capture of the French frigate L'Insurgente
by the Constellation, of which he was ex-
ecutive officer. He fired the first shot by
his own hand in the war of 1912. Three days
after the declaration of hostiltiss he sailed
in the President in command of a squadron
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