Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-12-20
WHEN IR0NSIDES
WAS TORPEDOED
Lieut.. Commander TOmb's Father
Figured In Daring Exploit
ESCAPED UNDER HEAVY FIRE.

Officers Of Atlantic 5attIeship Fleet
While at Charleston, Where the As
sault Occurred. Hear Thrilling Story
From Lips Of a Survivor Who Gets
View Of Modern Ships.
Eleven battleships Of the Atlantic
feet. the Utah, Florida. North Dakota,
Delaware. Ohio, Idaho, New Hampshire.
Illinois. Virginia. Georgia and Rhode
Island. were at Charleston, s. c., re-
Gently in connection with a eelebra,
ton at that place. While the officers
OF the fleet enjoyed their visit TO the
southern city. the trip had an added in.
terest to lieutenant Commander James
II. Tomb, on duty on the North Dakota,
as his father came ON from Jackson
vile 10 see his son. and also to view
the vessels of the modern navy.
Back In 1863 Lieutenant Commander
Tomb's father was engineer Of Con.
federate torpcdo boat This vessel was
called The Little David by the south
erners and was designed by Or. St.
Julien Ravenel of Charleston.
The Little David was commanded
by Lieutenant William 4. Glassell, al
graduate of the United States Naval
academy of the class of 1913, who was
dismissed from the navy ON Dec. OIL
1861. on Oct. 8. 1868. the torpedo boat
steamed out of Charleston harbor tol
make an attack on the United States
frigate Ironsides.
First Submerged Torpedo Boat.
The little vessel was practically the
first submerged torpedo boat ever used
In naval warfare. At 9:15 o'clock that
night a small object was seen by al
sentinel on the ironsides and hailed.
No answer was received. AID the sen
try fired The ship almost Immediate
ly thereafter received very severe
blow from an explosion which threw a
column Of water upon the spar deck
and into the engine room.
The object was afterward known to-
be torpedo boat, shaped like a cigar.
fifty feet long and five feet In diam.
eter, and SO submerged that the only
portion visible was the eoaming Of her
hatch, two feet above the water sur.
face, and about ten feet ia length.
When the Little David exploded the
torpedo she lay helpless under the
quarter of the frigate, her fires duench-
ed by the volume OF water caused by
the explosion. Lieutenant Glassell and
the fireman. james sullivan. swan OF
toward the Ironsides, which all the
time was directing a heavy fire upon
the torpedo boat
Returned to Disabled Craft.
Lieutenant Glassell hailed schooner
as he was drifting past and was taken
on board and was then made prison
er by the northerners. The pilot Wal
ter Cannon, remained in the Little Da-
yid, and Engineer Tomb, donning a 1
life preserver, leaped overheard. but
swan back to the torpedo boat
There. in spite Of the heavy fire of
the enemy, he rebuilt his fires enough
to move the machinery and. ending
the Federal ships, took the vessel back
to Charleston In safety.
The marine guard and musketeers
on the spar deck of the Ironsides saw
the small object as II was drifting
along. and a severe fire was kept up
until it passed out Of sight Two OF
the monitors came near, but the small
object had disappeared. Two boats
were sent ont from the Ironsides and
made an unsuccessful search.
Lieutenant Commander, Tomb was
born in Missouri and entered the Naval
academy In 1895. He was commission
ed lieutenant commander in 1911.