The ''Squib'' class torpedo boats were built for the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

during the later stages of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. After the

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...

CSS ''David'' attacked and damaged the

ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...

USS ''New Ironsides'', the Confederates continued building torpedo boats with hopes of breaking the

Union blockade The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

. Four vessels of the class CSS ''Hornet'', CSS ''Wasp'', CSS ''Squib'', and CSS ''Scorpion'' were constructed in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, in 1864. All were armed with a single spar torpedo and were powered by

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

s. ''Squib'' damaged the gunboat USS ''Minnesota'' in an attack on April 9, 1864, and was later sent to

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

, where she was scuttled in February 1865. The other three vessels of the class were all part of the

James River Squadron The James River Squadron was formed shortly after the secession of Virginia during the American Civil War. The squadron was part of the Virginia Navy before being transferred to the Confederate States Navy. The squadron is most notable for its r ...

and participated in the

Battle of Trent's Reach The Battle of Trent's Reach was one of the final major naval battles of the American Civil War. Beginning on January 23, 1865, a powerful flotilla of Confederate warships bombarded Fort Brady along the James River and engaged four Union Navy ...

on the night of January 23 and 24, 1865. ''Scorpion'' ran aground during the battle, and was forced downriver and out of control after the tender CSS ''Drewry'' exploded on January 24. She was later captured by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

forces and may have been burned. ''Hornet'' was sunk in a collision with another vessel on January 27, and ''Wasp'' was scuttled on the night of April 2/3, as the Confederates were abandoning Richmond.

Description and construction

During the

, the

was suffocating the breakaway

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. In an attempt to break the blockade, the

CSS ''David attacked the Union

USS ''New Ironsides'' on October 5, 1863, damaging the Union vessel. As a result of ''David''s attack, the Confederates continued to build additional torpedo boats. Led by

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

Hunter Davidson, and constructor William A. Graves, Confederate engineers in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, designed a new class of torpedo boats based on a different pattern than ''David''. While ''David'' was semi-submersible, the Richmond design, known as the ''Squib''-class, was not. Four were completed: CSS ''Squib'', CSS ''Scorpion'', CSS ''Hornet'', and CSS ''Wasp''. These vessels had wooden

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

s, and were driven by a

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. ''Squib'' was about to , with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of about . She was powered by a double-cylinder

, which had a single

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

and funnel. The engine was located

amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th t ...

, and the boiler and funnel

aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...

. ''Squib'' was reportedly quite fast. The other three vessels of the class were longer than ''Squib'' and were very similar amongst themselves. They were long, with a beam of . All four ships are reported as having a

depth of hold Depth(s) may refer to: Science and mathematics * Three-dimensional space * Depth (ring theory), an important invariant of rings and modules in commutative and homological algebra * Depth in a well, the measurement between two points in an oil w ...

of . Their

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically ref ...

is unknown. One of the three non-''Squib'' vessels of the class had two oscillating condensing engines, which had a

cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...

and a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

, as well as a single boiler. The vessel was described as having "fair speed for a boat of her kind" by a Union engineer. All of the vessels of the class carried a crew of five or six. They were armed with a single spar torpedo, which was mounted on a shaft that was either according to naval historian Paul H. Silverstone or long according to naval historian John M. Coski. The spar could be raised or lowered by the ship's crew using a chain and tackle system. The ships's sides were armored by thin plates of iron. ''Squib'' was launched in early 1864, having been laid down at an unknown time in the prior year, with the others built later that year. Confederate States Secretary of the Navy Stephen R. Mallory ordered six ''Squib''-class boats from England in July 1864, but they were never delivered. Additionally, two others were still under construction at Richmond in April 1865; the Confederates abandoned Richmond early in that month. Incomplete vessels at the Confederate naval facilities were burned when the city was abandoned. Construction had been started on another in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and two more in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

Ships

''Squib''

''Squib'' was also known as ''Infanta''. Commanded by Davidson, ''Squib'' snuck into the midst of the Union fleet at

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

on April 9, 1864, and attacked the Union

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

USS ''Minnesota''. After lowering the spar underwater, Davidson and his crew rammed the torpedo into ''Minnesota''. The ensuing explosion of the of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

in the torpedo damaged, but did not sink, the Union vessel. The torpedo had been too close to the water surface, reducing the effect of the explosion. ''Squib'' escaped. She was also used to carry flags of truce. At an unknown date during mid-1864, ''Squib'' was transported by railcar to

, where she served in the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

. While later reports of the activities of ''Squib'' no longer exist, she may have been used to ferry men and supplies during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. In February 1865, she was scuttled by her crew at Point Peter on Cape Fear.

''Scorpion''

Commanded by Lieutenant Edward Lakin, ''Scorpion'' performed guard duty on the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

as part of the

. On the night of January 23, 1865, ''Scorpion'' participated in the Confederate offensive known as the

. When the Confederate vessels present reached Union obstructions at Trent's Reach, ''Scorpion'' went ahead to perform

depth sounding Depth sounding, often simply called sounding, is measuring the depth of a body of water. Data taken from soundings are used in bathymetry to make maps of the floor of a body of water, such as the seabed topography. Soundings were traditionally ...

s. Afterwards, while moving to get a lantern from the ironclad CSS ''Virginia II'', ''Scorpion''

ran aground Ship grounding or ship stranding is the impact of a ship on seabed or waterway side. It may be intentional, as in beaching to land crew or cargo, and careening, for maintenance or repair, or unintentional, as in a marine accident. In accidenta ...

. At 07:10 on January 24, she was swept downriver and out of control when Union fire caused the armed tender CSS ''Drewry'' to explode. The explosion killed two crew members from ''Scorpion'' and swept four others overboard. Efforts to rescue her that night failed. She was later captured by Union forces, and may have been burned.

''Wasp''

''Wasp'' was commanded by Master's Mate J. W. Matherson and was part of the James River Squadron. She was present at the Battle of Trent's Reach on January 23 and 24. During the action, she helped refloat ''Hornet'' after the latter vessel ran aground, and unsuccessfully tried to get ''Scorpion'' ungrounded, but temporarily ran aground herself. Later, she withdrew to the Confederate position at Battery Dantzler. ''Wasp'' then served as a picket boat for ''Virginia II''. She was burned on the night of April 2/3, as the Confederates abandoned Richmond.

''Hornet''

''Hornet'' was commanded by Master Samuel P. Blanc. On January 23 and 24, 1865, she also took part in the action at Trent's Reach. After ''Scorpion'' ran aground, ''Hornet'', who had been proceeding towards the ironclad CSS ''Richmond'', encountered her and tried to get her unstuck, but was unable to do so due to the shallowness of the water. ''Hornet'' then moved upriver towards Battery Dantzler, arriving around the time of daylight. On January 27, ''Hornet'' collided with the steamer CSS ''Allison'' and sank.

References

Sources

* * * * {{CSN torpedo boats Squib-class torpedo boats Torpedo boats of the Confederate States Navy Torpedo boat classes