THE U.S. NAVY FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE 20TH CENTURY

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a. b. Q5. The Mexican-American War was primarily a land war. However, the Navy provided what service during this war? THE U.S. NAVY FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO THE 20TH CENTURY Learning Objective: When you finish this chapter, you will be able to— Recognize the roles and responsibilities of the Navy from the Civil War to the 20th century to include the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. The last half of the 19th century was a time of change for the United States. Marked by two wars and the first assassination of a United States President, it was a time of rapid change for the country and its Navy. THE CIVIL WAR This bloody struggle between the States was the stage for many events in U.S. naval history. Both Union and Confederate navies engaged in shipbuilding programs. These programs brought the ironclad era into being. Launched by the Union in 1862, USS New Ironsides, a powerful ironclad, had the armor that allowed it to survive 50 hits in one battle. Ironclads The Civil War saw the development of two famed ironclads—the USS Merrimack (renamed the CSS Virginia by the Confederacy) and the Union’s USS Monitor (which sported a turret). The USS Monitor was ungainly, called a cheese box on a raft; however, it and its Confederate counterpart began the ironclad era. The battle of the ships was indecisive; both sides claimed victory. Also appearing on the scene were riverboats, rams, and gunboats. Probably more changes and advances were made in ship designs during the 4 years of the Civil War (1861 - 1865) than during any period since our Navy had its start in 1775. Submarines The Confederate Navy took the next steps forward in the development of the submarine. The USS Hunley was built with funds provided by Captain H. L. Hunley, a man blessed with imagination but lacking in practicality. The ends of this 25-foot craft were loaded with ballast tanks that could be filled for descent but had to be hand pumped for ascent. Power was supplied by a propeller fitted to a camshaft that ran the length of the ship and was turned by as many as eight men. The CSS Hunley was a jinx to the Confederate Navy. On its first voyage, it nosed into the mud and refused to surface, killing its seven crew members. It was hauled up and moored at James Island, where a passing steamer swamped it and six more crewmen were lost. It was hauled up once more and manned with another crew, but was swept over by another steamer and another three men were killed. A young Confederate lieutenant, George Dixon, was convinced that the boat could be useful to the South. The CSS Hunley was moored off Charleston’s Sullivan Island, just a few hundred yards from the USS Housatonic. In the first true submarine attack in naval history, Dixon cast off toward the large warship. The CSS Hunely attacked the USS Housatonic in calm waters in the dark of night. The submarine was sighted by lookouts on the USS Housatonic; however, it didn’t have the time or the opportunity to strike back or set sail. The CSS Hunley hit the USS Housatonic driving its shaft deep into the ship’s hull. The heavy charge of gunpowder the submergible was carrying went off prematurely, and the CSS Hunley never had a chance to escape. It and all of its crew went down. The USS Housatonic had the same fate. It was hit on the starboard side and went down in just 4 minutes. Another northern vessel moved to its rescue, and only a few of its seamen were lost. Even though he lost his life, Lieutenant Dixon had demonstrated that submarines could be useful weapons of war. 5-10 Student Notes:

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