FIRST TORPEDO BOAT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5514, 16 December 1929, Page 4

FIRST TORPEDO BOAT.

EPIC OF THE SEA. VESSEL SUNK FOUR TIMES. News has been received from Jacksonville Florida, of the death at the age of 90, of Capt. James T. Tombs, who took part in the first torpedo attack ever made on an ironclad. This historic incident occurred on October 5, 1863, during the American Civil War (writes Hector C. Bywater in the London “Daily Telegraph.” Lacking proper material, the Confederate Naval authorities displayed a genius for improvisation which has never been adequately recognised. From the scantiest resources they produced powerful armoured ships, cruisers, torpedo boats, and even a submarine of sorts. The torpedo boats were the socalled “Davids,” so named because they were intended to lay low the Goliaths of the Northern fleet. They were cigar-shaped vessels, 40ft to 60ft long, and 7ft. in diameter. The boiler was placed forward and the engine aft, the space between being reserved for the crew of four men. A copper “torpedo,” containing 701 b of powder and fitted with a mechanical fuse, was carried at the end of a spar protruding from the bows. When equipped for action, the David was so deeply submerged that nothing remained visible except her short funnel and the hatch coamings. Under the command of Lieut. W. T. Glassel, this old little craft set out from Charleston Harbour on the night of October 5 to attack the Federal armoured frigate New Ironsides, which was lying off shore. Glassel had got within 300yds of the big ship before he was challenged. Undaunted by a hot fire from small arms, he held on until he struck the frigate.' The torpedo, exploding with great force, inflicted some injury to the enemy ship, but the concussion proved disastrous to David. Water flowing down the hatch quenched hei- boiler furnace, the engine jambed, and the little vessel drifted helplessly until two of the crew, who had jumped for their lives when she seemed to be sinking, clambered on board again, raised steam, and brought her safely into port. The other’ two members of the crew were taken prisoners. The moral effect of this daring raid was such that the New Ironsides was withdrawn from her patrol area. Sensational and Tragic. More sensational, more successful, and infinitely more tragic was the submarine attack made on the Federal warship Housatonic at Charleston on February, 17, 1864. The vessel employed had been built at Mobile in the previous year. Like the “Davids,” she was spindle-shaped, but her motive power was a hand-propeller worked by eight men, and she was equipped with a pair of lateral rudders by means of which she could be submerged or brought to the surface. Ballast tanks Were fitted, to be flooded when the boat was about to dive, but there was no reverse of air. Her method of attack was to dive under the target ship, dragging after her a contact torpedo, which would explode on striking the enemy’s hull. On her trial trip at Mobile she promptly sank, suffocating her entire crew. After being raised she put to sea for the second time, only to be swamped by the wash of a passing steamer and sent to the bottom with all hands. On her third trip she foundered again, drowning six of the crew of eight.