The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-10-06
A PAGE FROM
CONFEDERATE HISTORY
Brief But Eventful Career of the
Submarine That Destroyed the
United States Warship Housatonic.

limited States Warship Housatonic.
Printed Originally in the Houston
Telegraph and Discovered Recently
in an Old Scrap BookD
During our long defensive war a
great deal of ingenuity had been eX-
pended by the Confederates upon tor
pedoes and torpedo boats. The most
remarkable of these boats was con-
-structed by Messrs Hundley and Nc
eClintock, of Mobile, Ala, and launch
ed in 1864, and nothing which has
gone down into the sea was more
wonderfully and fearfully contrived
to wreak destruction and vengeance
Dpon a foe. She was built of boiler
iron, and impervious to water or air.
Her extreme length was about thirty
feet. with five or siX-foot beam, and
about six feet depth of hold.
In general contour she resembled a
cigar, sharp at both ends. She was
propelled by a screw, the shaft of
which ran horizontally along her hold,
almost from stem to stem, ard was
turned by the manual force Of eight
men seated along it on either side.
The only hatchway was circular
about two-feet in diameter, with a
low combing around it, which was
placed we'll forward and when desired
could be closed by an iron cap work
.ang on hinges and made alright. In
7the forward part of this cap was in
serted clear glass bulls eye through
which the pilot could see. She was
provided with water-tight compart-
naents, by filling or emptying which
she could sink or rise, and to enable
her to rise instantly her ballasting of
railroad bars was placed on her bot
tom, outside of her hull, and by
means of keys accessible to her crew,
, could be detached in moment so
that she could rise quickly to the sur
face. Besides her rudder, which was
&. OF the usual form, this vessel was
equipped with side paddles, or tins,
which, like those of a fish, served to
guide it up or down with reference to
the surface of the water. TO pre-
rare for action a floating torpedo
was secured to her stern by line
more than one hundred feet long,
:and her crew having embarked, the
wafer tanks were filled till the boat
was in equilibrium and almost sub
marged. The hatchway was closed,
the men revolved the shaft. The
captain or pilot standing under the
hatch, steered the boat, regulating at
the same time by the action of the
fins the depth at which she would
move. She could remain submerged
for half an hour or an hour, without
any great inconvenience to her crew.
and on one occasion had been known
to remain under water two hours
without actual injury to them, al
though no means were provided for
procuring fresh air, and from the mo-
ment the hatch was closed, the men
thus fastened in their living tomb, in
faled and exhaled continuously the
atmosphere which was enclosed witt,
them.
The plan of attack proposed by the
inventors was to dive beneath the
hold of an enemy's ship, hauling the
torpedo after her. It's triggers would
thus press against the ships bottom,
explode the torpedo and inevitably
sink the ship. Not anticipating an
early opportunity of using the dan
rgerous vessel against the fleet of Far
:ragut, Gen. Maury sent her by rail to
Gen. Beauregard, at Charleston, be-
Geving the waters of that harbor
better suited to her peculiar con-
:struction. Beauregard changed the
position of the torpedo by fastening
Ii to the bow. Its front was termi-
rated by a sharp and barbei lance,
so that when the boat was driven on
against ships side the torpedo
w3uld be forced deep into it's side be-
low the water line, and thus fasten
tie torpedo firmly against the ships
side. Then the torpedo boat could
hack off and explode it from land.
Gen. Beauregard's call upon the
eConfederates for volunteers 70 man
this dangerous craft, was promptly
answered by Lieut.. Payne, a Virgin
ian, and eight sailors. They were
soon ready for action. The evening
set for the expedition the torpedo
boat was lying alongside the steamer
from which the crew had embarked.