Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-05-22

uAA tC AaI I'LL 4 ~ AtQaLAs OA LAG -
May she steamed down the river to It's
mouth, intending to enter Albemarle
sound and get through to Newbern.
Struck Amidships.
The coming of the Albemarle was
not unexpected by Captain Smith, who
had arranged a plan of action suited,
as he thought, TO the occasion. The
rontending ships met about sixteen
miles from the rivers mouth, where
the sound is four or FIVE miles wide.
The Mattabesett led the Federal feet
and the ram opened with her forward
guns and sent two well aimed shells
crashing into the upper works Of her
foremost opponent. The ram then
boldly dashed at her enemies to run
them down, but the Mattabesett veered
and escaped the blow. The Sassacus
followed the Mattabesett and was In
good position when the ram overran
the elusive mark to give her a broad
side of solid shot. Although fred at
very close quarters the missiles were
harmless on the iron sides of the ram.
The Albemarle kept up a fire and made
havoc with the vulnerable wooden
boats. The of the Mattabe-
Bett and Sassacus soon brought the ram
between them. Commander Il. A. Roe
Of the Sassacus ordered all steam on
and backed off to secure Roadway.
Then the valves were opened wide, the
vessel fairly leaping under the impulse
of the loosened engine wheels. The
ram was also coming on and the Sas-
sacus struck her amidships and sent
her stern deck several feet under
water. The shock was so severe that
the crew of the ram believed their
vessel to be sinking and had to be
rallied by their commander, Captain ].
w. Cooke. On board the Sassacus the
damage and alarm were greater than
on the ram. The moment the vessels
struck the ram sci a shot through the
Sassacus, piercing her boilers and fill
ing her with steam and boiling water.
Ram and Ship Entangled.
The vessels were SO ~entangled that
the forward movements Of the ram
wrenched the Sassacus loose and fair
ly hurled her off into the water. The
Confederates now attempted to board
the Sassacus, but the ridemen in the
rigging, who had not been disturbed
by the hull shots and the scalding
water below, opened a brisk fire and
kept the boarders at bay during the
time the vessels were entangled.
The guns of the Sassacus opened fire
on the ram the moment the smoke and
steam cleared up and for the first time
the shots took effect. The smokestack
of the Albemarle was riddled and some
Of her armor broken. The Roadway OF
both vessels was such that after the
collision they drifted alongside n an
other and this position gave the Fed
eral gunners their chance. One gun
Of the ram was disabled and she fought
the rest of the battle with one only.
The ramming of an ironclad by a
wooden vessel was a bold undertaking
and something unusual in naval war
fare. But the Sassacus was a fast
steamer and she went at the ram under
a speed of between ten and eleven
knots an hour. Her bow was armed
with a beak weighing several thousand
pounds and the result was such that had
she had the aid of two or three more
vessels of the same class in the nick
of time when she lay fairly aboard Of
the ram the latter might have been
destroyed.
While the Sassacus was engaged
with the ram, the next in line. the MI
ami, stood for the ram, but failed to
get within striking distance. This yes
sci was provided with a spar torpedo,
and as soon as the Sassacus backed
away from the ram Captain Smith,
seeing that the latter was surrounded,
signaled the Miami to "go ahead and
try her torpedo The steering ap-
paratus of the Miami was defective.
and she could not move with the Able
marie. Orders were now given to get
in line and cease firing. The Wyalu-
sing was ordered to attack the ram,
but the reply came that she was sink
| ing, and she Immediately backed of.
The line was now broken as far as
the Mattabesett, the fourth and last Of
the large vessels. She was moving in
a circle. and, coming up to the ram,
delivered a broadside. She then pass
ed In ahead of the ram and attempted
to lay a seine and snare the propeller
Of the ram, but it was torn and rem
dered useless. Then the Mattabesett
rounded to and delivered all her fire
on the Confederate at close quarters,