While poking around a Naval Matters discussion board this weekend, I learned of a truly incredible story from the Civil War. It's the story of how a single Union warship, the USS Black Terror, and its very brief career.
A brief recap: the Confederacy had captured two Union warships, the Queen Of The West and the Indianola. The Queen was put back into service on their side, and they were repairing the Indianola, when the Black Terror arrived on the scene, driving the Queen to retreat and the Confederates to stop trying to recover the Indianola and instead destroy her.
That's a very impressive feat for one ship. Especially one ship that was built in a single night for a grand total of less than nine dollars...
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Comments (10)
FWIW, that's about $133 in ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by JohnMc | July 24, 2006 2:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
FWIW, that's about $133 in today's dollars.
http://eh.net/hmit/ppowerusd/
1. Posted by JohnMc | July 24, 2006 2:25 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 14:25
2. Posted by ed | July 24, 2006 2:35 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hmmm.
It is rather astonishing just how badly organized the Civil War was. My favorite Civil War Twit is General Ambrose Burnside.
2. Posted by ed | July 24, 2006 2:35 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 14:35
3. Posted by cirby | July 24, 2006 2:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
One old teacher of mine often referred to the Buster Keaton comedy "The General" as a documentary with stunts, because it caught the overall chaos of that war.
3. Posted by cirby | July 24, 2006 2:57 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 14:57
4. Posted by Mac Lorry | July 24, 2006 3:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Sometimes slow and steady gets through against all odds. The USS Black Terror floated past Vicksburg untouched by blistering fire from the shore batteries. Similarly, the German battleship Bismarck's fate was sealed by a torpedo attack launched by fourteen Fairey Swordfish biplanes, none of which were lost in the attack. These biplanes were just too slow for the German anti-aircraft guns to track. One of the two torpedoes that struck the Bismarck jammed her rudder preventing her escape.
4. Posted by Mac Lorry | July 24, 2006 3:01 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 15:01
5. Posted by Paul | July 24, 2006 3:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Jay if you are not familir with the story, google "english turn" -- a guy in a canoe turned back the British Armada.
Oh heck I just realized all you'd get is golf info....
here
5. Posted by Paul | July 24, 2006 3:01 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 15:01
6. Posted by Sputnick | July 24, 2006 3:28 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I'm starting to question my sanity. Was this story posted this morning for a very short time? I seem to remember clicking on the link and reading the story - but it was very early...
6. Posted by Sputnick | July 24, 2006 3:28 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 15:28
7. Posted by Jay Tea | July 24, 2006 3:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Yeah, it was, Sputnick. I timed it for 2:00, then forgot to change it from "published" to "scheduled." Once I realized my mistake, I unpublished it.
You're quick. I don't think it was up for more than five minutes.
J.
7. Posted by Jay Tea | July 24, 2006 3:37 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 15:37
8. Posted by Sputnik | July 24, 2006 5:08 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Good! One less reason to doubt my sanity...but so many more...
8. Posted by Sputnik | July 24, 2006 5:08 PM |
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Posted on July 24, 2006 17:08
9. Posted by Steve L. | July 25, 2006 8:57 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Nowadays, such a ruse would cost millions of dollars and take at least three years of R&D before it could be used. OF course, the media would then scream about how we "tricked" the enemy and how we should be better than that. "Experts" would then talk about how we should have built the mock ironclad but put big signs on it that said, "This isn't areal ship. Don't be afraid."
9. Posted by Steve L. | July 25, 2006 8:57 AM |
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Posted on July 25, 2006 08:57
10. Posted by yetanotherjohn | July 27, 2006 1:35 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
In defense of the South, I will draw your attention to the battle of Sabine pass. Where 44 confederates defeated over 4,000 union soldiers.
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/qes2.html
The defenders of Vicksburg "honored the threat". The union attackers in the Sabine battle apparently could not understand the concept of turning the flank of the confederates.
10. Posted by yetanotherjohn | July 27, 2006 1:35 PM |
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Posted on July 27, 2006 13:35