USN Picket Boat #1

Type

Steam Launch

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: Picket Boat No. 1 was a small U.S. Navy steam launch built in 1864, fitted with a spar torpedo so it could be used offensively against much larger enemy warships despite its tiny size. It is remembered chiefly for a single, extraordinarily daring action rather than for any conventional naval career. Specifications: Contemporary accounts disagree on exact dimensions — reported lengths range from about 30 feet up to 45-47 feet, and crew size is variously given as 14 to 22 men. She carried a 12-pounder Dahlgren boat howitzer and a 14-foot spar rigged from the bow to carry and detonate a torpedo charge below an enemy's waterline. Service History: Acquired by Lieutenant William B. Cushing in New York along with a sister boat, Picket Boat No. 2 (which was lost en route), Picket Boat No. 1 reached the Albemarle Sound in October 1864. On the night of 27-28 October 1864 Cushing took her up the Roanoke River to Plymouth, North Carolina, and rammed the log boom protecting the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle, releasing the spar torpedo beneath her hull and sinking the ram. Under close-range fire during the attack, the launch itself was destroyed and sank; Cushing and one crewman escaped, while most of the rest were killed or captured. Notable Facts: The raid made Cushing a celebrated Union hero, landing his portrait on the cover of Harper's Weekly and earning him promotion and the Thanks of Congress. The action is considered one of the first true "torpedo boat" attacks in naval history and inspired the Navy to later name its first commissioned torpedo boat, USS Cushing (TB-1), after him. The event is still commemorated with annual reenactments near Plymouth, North Carolina, and the boat's ambiguous design details (varying reported lengths and crew counts) make it a popular but historically debated subject for scale modelers.