The New York monitors — what the officers think of them.
At he present session of the
Yankee Congress, there have been some very interesting documents communicated with the report of
Welles, the
Secretary of the Navy.
That worthy, it will be recollected, had strong faith in the iron clad monitors, and insisted that
Admiral Dupont should "occupy and hold"
Charleston by their aid. The contractors for building them, having more faith in than knowledge of them, also clamored when their costly work was disparaged.
Between the two acts
Admiral Dupont got into hot water, and the
Yankee nation let his reparation down a few pegs.
But the information given in his report shows that he was right and his detractors wrong.
It will be of considerable interest to the reader to know what that report embodied on the subjects and, accordingly, we make some luminous extracts below from the officers commanding the vessels.
We preface them with the following extract from the New York
Journal of Commerce, which, like the rest of those papers that lack full faith in the wisdom of the
Washington Government, thinks that the iron clad invention has not yet proved its right to what is claimed for it:
The upshot of the matter is that, so far as relates to an iron-clad navy for deep sea service, its feasibility remains to be determined.
There are skilled naval architects who already pronounce the idea visionary and the attempt a failure, as impenetrability brings with it the sacrifice of speed and safely--two essential requisites.
We shall know more about this by-and-by.
Iron-clad gunboats and rams for smooth water, for harbor defence and in land service — these depend for succession wholly different considerations, and their value may be regarded as established.
We annex below extracts from the reports of the officers.
Captain Dayton, who commanded the monitor
Passaic, says:
‘
At the fourth shot from Xi-inch guns, I was struck in quick succession in the lower part of the turret by two heavy shots, which bulged in its plates and beams, and forcing together the rails on which the Xi-inch carriage worked, rendered it wholly useless for the remainder of the action, several hours being necessary to put it again in working order.
Soon after it was discovered that there was something the matter with the turret itself, which could not be moved, and on examination it was found that a part of the brass ring underneath it had been broken off, and being forced in board, had jammed; on clearing this the turret could again be moved, but for some time irregularity.
A little after a very heavy rifle shot struck the upper part of the turret, broke all of its eleven plates, and then glancing upward took the pilot house yet with such force as to make an intention of two and a half inches, extending nearly the while length of the shot.
The blow was so severe as to considerably mash in the pilot house, bend it over, open the plates, and squeeze our the top, so that on one side it was lifted up three inches above the top on which it rested exposing the inside of the pilot-house, and rendering it likely that the next shot would take off the top itself entirely.
’
Capt. Rodgers, of the
Weehawken:
‘
Two or three heavy shot struck the side armor near the same place.
They have so broken the iron that it only remains in splintered fragments upon that spot; much of it can be picked off by hand, and the wood is exposed.
’
The deck was pierced so as to make a hole through which water run into the vessel; but it was not large.
Thirty-six boils were broken in the turret, and a good many in the pilot house; but as these are concealed by an iron lining, I have no means of knowing now many.
At one time the turret revolved with difficulty in consequence of a shot upon its junction with the pilot-house, but it worked well again after a few turns had been made with higher steam.
Capt. Worden of the Montank:
‘
I desire to say that I experienced serious embarrassment in manœuvring my vessel in the narrow and uncertain channel, with the limited means of observation afforded from the pilot- house, under the rapid and concentrated fire from the forts, the vess is of the fleet close around me, and neither compass nor buoys to guide me. After testing the weight of the enemy's fire, and observing the obstructions, I am led to believe that
Charleston cannot be taken by the naval force now present, and that, had the attack been continued, it could not fail to result in disaster.
’
Commander Ammen, of the Patapaco:
‘
Forty seven projectiles of the enemy struck the vessel.
No damage was done which disabled her, although injuries were received, which multiplied, would do so. Forty bolts of the smoke-stack were broken, and a chain around it will be necessary to its continued security.
’
I think a want of vision one of the most serious defects of this class, making it impossible to fight them advantageously, to avoid dangers, or to make a satisfactory reconnaissance.
Another question of great importance as relates to their efficient employment is the character of the battery.
If it is proposed to batter down forts with a 15 inch gun, then it is quite plain that we have to come within distances at which heavy ordnance, if employed in heavy batteries against us, cannot fail in the end to injure or perhaps disable us.
Commander Fairfax, of the
Nantucket:
‘
Our fire was very slow, necessarily, and not half so observable upon the wail of the forts as the rain of their rift shot and heavy shell was upon this vessel.
After the third shot from the Xv-inchgun the port stopper became jammed, several shot striking very near the port and driving in the plating.
It was not used again.
’
As the fleet withdrew the forts materially slackened their fire, evidently not wishing to expend their ammunition without some result.
Certainly their firing was excellent throughout.
Fortunately it was directed to some half dozen iron-clads at a time.
The effect of their fire upon the
Keokuk, together with that of their heavy rifle shot upon the monitors, is sufficient proof that
any one tressel could not long have withstood the concentrative fire of the enemy's batteries. I am convinced that, although this class of vessels can stand a very heavy fire, yet the want of more guns will render them comparatively harmless before formidable earthwork and forts.
I must say that I am disappointed beyond measure at this experiment of monitors over coming strong forts.
It was a fair trial.
Lieutenant Beardsice, of the
Nantucket:
‘
One rifle shot struck on the lower corner of the 15 inch port, denting the outer plate about one and a half inch, and bulging the whole thickness so much as to prevent the port stopper from swinging.
This shot was received after the third fire of the 15 inch, and disabled the gun for the rest of the fight, we not being able to open the port.
A 10 inch, shot struck directly opposite, and near tire top of the turret, starting a number of bolt and breaking the clap ring inside.
During the action the turret became jammed.
Upon examination, we discovered six or seven bolt-heads and nuts that had fallen inside and into the recess around the bottom of the turret, rendering to necessary to key the turret higher in order to clear them.
Upon attempting to revolve the turret again to day, found that another had fallen since the first were removed. --The pilot house was struck once, a quare hit, but doing no damage.
The side armor was struck nine times — once below the water line.
A number of the side plates are started so much that another shot in their vicinity would, in my opinion, knock them off. One bait was driven through the hon, and is buried in the oak. One of the dead plates is started from a blow on the side armor.
The smoke stack was riddled in the upper sections, and received five shots in the lower sections--one, a solid 10 inch. fell after striking upon the deck, and was secured.
’
Captain Downes, of the
Nahant:
‘
We soon began to suffer from the effects of the terrible and I believe almost unprecedented fire to which we were exposed, and at 4,30 the turret refused to true, having become jammed from the effects of three blows from heavy shot, two of them on the composition ring about the base of the pilot house (one of these breaking off a piece or iron weighing seventy eight pounds from the interior that assisted to keep the house square on its bearings, throwing it with such violence to the other side of the house, striking, bending, and damaging steering gear in its course, that it hounded from the inside contain and fell back into the centre of the house,) and the other on the outside of target, bulging it in and driving off the 14 inch, appointed on the inside to keep in place the gun-rails, and down the main trace of turret.
’
The bolt heads dying from the inside of the pilot house at the same time struck down the pilot,
Mr. Sofield, twice struck, and senseless and the quartermaster,
Edward Cohn, fatally injuring with fractured skull, leaving me alone in the pilot house the steering gear becoming at the same time disarranged.
We were within five hundred yards of
Fort Sumter, unmanageable, and under the concentrated fire of. I think, one hundred guns at short rang, and the obstructions close aboard.
But fortunately, we got the preventer steering gear in working order of time to prevent disastrous results.
And getting my vessel once more under command I endeavored to renew the action, out after repeated futile efforts to turn the guns on to the fort, I conclude to rathe for a time from close action and endeavor to repair damages.
