CSS David

Type

Semi-submersible Torpedo Boat

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: CSS David was a Confederate semi-submersible spar-torpedo boat, the first of about twenty similar craft built by the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Cigar-shaped and resembling a submarine in profile, it was in fact a strictly surface-running vessel designed to sit nearly awash to minimize its silhouette. Specifications: The boat was roughly 50 feet (15 m) long, 6 feet (1.8 m) in beam, and drew about 5 feet (1.5 m), with a small steam engine driving a single screw and a crew of four officers and men. Her sole armament was a spar torpedo, a 32-by-10-inch explosive charge of 134 pounds of gunpowder mounted on a long pole projecting from the bow, since self-propelled torpedoes did not yet exist. Ballast tanks allowed her to flood down so only her open-top conning tower and boiler stack showed above the waterline. Service History: Designed by St. Julien Ravenel and built as a private venture by T. Stoney at Charleston in 1863, David was placed under Confederate States Navy control. On the night of October 5, 1863, under Lieutenant William T. Glassell, she attacked the powerful Union ironclad USS New Ironsides off Charleston, detonating her spar torpedo against the ironclad's starboard quarter and temporarily disabling both ships before escaping. Her later fate is unknown; she may have been among the torpedo boats captured by Union forces when Charleston fell in February 1865. Notable Facts: David gave her name to the entire "David-class" of Confederate torpedo boats and is considered one of the most iconic small warships of the Civil War alongside the Hunley submarine and CSS Virginia. She reportedly burned smokeless anthracite coal and operated on dark nights to further reduce detection. A full-size replica was built in 1970 by Trident Technical College students for the South Carolina Tricentennial, and she also has a historical link to the Hunley, having towed the submarine out for early trials.