THE DESTRUCTION OF THE “ALBEMARLE.”
N September, 1864, the Government was laboring undermuch anxiety in regard to the condition of affairs in thesounds of North Carolina . Some months previous (April19th) a rebel iron-clad had made her appearance, attackingand recapturing Plymouth,
beating
PART OF THE SMOKE-STACKOF THE “ALBEMARLE."
our fleet, and sinkingthe Southfield. Some time after (May 5th), this iron-clad,the Albemarle , had steamed out into the open sound andengaged seven of our steainers, doing much damage and suf-fering little. The Sassacus had attempted to run her down,but had failed, and had had her boiler exploded. [See p. 628.]The Government had no iron-clad that could cross Hatterasbar and enter the sounds, J and it was impossible for anynumber of our vessels to injure the ram at Plymouth.
At this stage of affairs Admiral S. P. Lee J. spoke to me of the case, when Iproposed a plan for her capture or destruction. I submitted in writing twoplans. The first was based upon the fact that through a thick swamp the iron-clad might be approached to within a few hundred yards, whence India -rubberboats, to be inflated and carried upon men’s backs, might transport a board-ing-party of a hundred men; in the second plan the offensive force was to beconveyed in two very small low-pressure steamers, each armed with a tor-pedo and a howitzer. In the latter (which had my preference), I intendedthat one boat should dash in, while the other stood by to throw canister andrenew the attempt if the first should fail. It would also be useful to pick upour men if the attacking boat were disabled. Admiral Lee believed that theplan was a good one, and ordered me to Washington to submit it to the Sec-retary of the Navy. Mr. Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, doubted themerit of the project, but concluded to order me to New York to “purchasesuitable vessels.”
Finding some boats building for picket duty, I selected two, and proceededto fit them out. They were open launches, about thirty feet in length, | withsmall engines, and propelled by a screw. A 12-pounder howitzer was fittedto the bow of each, and a boom was rigged out, some fourteen feet inlength, swinging by a goose-neck hinge to the bluff of the bow. [See p. 636.]A topping lift, carried to a stanchion inboard, raised or lowered it, and thetorpedo was fitted into an iron slide at the end. This was intended to bedetached from the boom by means of a heel-jigger leading inboard, and to beexploded by another line, connecting with a pin, which held a grape shot over
J Several light-draught monitors were in courseof construction at this time, hut were not yet com-pleted.— Editors.
On September 5th, 1862, Acting Rear-AdmiralS. P. Lee relieved Rear-Admiral Goldsborough ofthe command of the North Atlantic Squadron ; he
in turn was relieved by Rear-Admiral D. D. Porter,October 12th, 1864.— Editors.
| According to Engineer-in-Chief W. W. Woodthe launches were “45 to 47 feet long, 9 feet 6inches beam. . . . Draught of water about 40 to42 inches.”— Editors.
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